--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reason I made women's issues central…" description: "\"The reason I made women's issues central to American foreign policy, was not because I was a feminist, but because we know that societies are more stab..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/madeleine-albright-1360_american-foreign-pol_the-reason-i-made-women-s-issues-central_208440.jpg" --- # The reason I made women's issues central to American… ![“The reason I made women's issues central to American foreign policy, was not because I was a feminist, but because we know that societies are more stable if women are politically and economically empowered.” quote by Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/madeleine-albright-1360_american-foreign-pol_the-reason-i-made-women-s-issues-central_208440.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/madeleine-albright-1360_american-foreign-pol_the-reason-i-made-women-s-issues-central_208440.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/madeleine-albright-1360_american-foreign-pol_the-reason-i-made-women-s-issues-central_208440.jpg) > “The reason I made women's issues central to American foreign policy, was not because I was a feminist, but because we know that societies are more stable if women are politically and economically empowered.” [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Empowering women politically and economically stabilizes societies, so foreign policy should prioritize gender equality. **In simple terms:** Women’s empowerment leads to stable societies. Key Takeaway Support gender‑inclusive policies. Themes e equality development Mood inspirational hopeful Type policy political When to use this quote - economic development - peacebuilding - human rights - education reform Key Concepts empowerment stability policy genderrights Questions to Reflect On - What policies best empower women locally? - How does empowerment affect security? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex stability factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American foreign policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-foreign-policy/) [Empowered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empowered/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/) [Foreign policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-policy/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [I do consider myself a feminist. I know the word has weird implications for people now, but I do think that its important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/i-do-consider-myself-a-feminist-i-know-the-word-has-weird/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [We must get rid of the habit of classing all women together politically and thinking of the 'woman's vote' as one and indivisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingalls-wilder/we-must-get-rid-of-the-habit-of-classing-all-women-together/) [Laura Ingalls Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingalls-wilder/) > [“And many women, whether or not they are politically active, ideologically committed feminists, or whether they have simply considered the lives of their mothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/and-many-women-whether-or-not-they-are-politically-active/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [I don't think people should think of women's issues as auxiliary issues - they are central.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/i-don-t-think-people-should-think-of-women-s-issues-as-auxiliary/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [I think the personal relationships I established mattered in terms of what I was able to get done. And I did bring women's issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/i-think-the-personal-relationships-i-established-mattered-in-terms-of/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Although some people call me anti-feminist, I know I wasn't because Germaine Greer supported me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernardo-bertolucci/although-some-people-call-me-anti-feminist-i-know-i-wasn-t-because/) [Bernardo Bertolucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernardo-bertolucci/) > [ Of course \[I'm a feminist\]. And everyone I know is a feminist. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/of-course-i-m-a-feminist-and-everyone-i-know-is-a-feminist/) [Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/) > [I mean that I consider myself a feminist. I think anybody who thinks women and men should be treated equally is a feminist, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mj-hegar/i-mean-that-i-consider-myself-a-feminist-i-think-anybody-who-thinks/) [MJ Hegar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mj-hegar/) > [The word 'feminist' is a word that discriminates, and I'm not into that. I don't think there has to be a separation in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shailene-woodley/the-word-feminist-is-a-word-that-discriminates-and-i-m-not-into-that/) [Shailene Woodley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shailene-woodley/) > [Women have that weird way of trying to be feminist. You know, like 'hear me roar.' But what they really want is a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-bibb/women-have-that-weird-way-of-trying-to-be-feminist-you-know-like-hear/) [Leslie Bibb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-bibb/) > [I don't really mind it when Trudeau calls himself a feminist because, you know, he did the half-female cabinet; that's something to be proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-marche/i-don-t-really-mind-it-when-trudeau-calls-himself-a-feminist-because/) [Stephen Marche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-marche/) > [We have Mr. Putin in Russia. And he appears to be a popular president of Russia. And I don't think it's the business of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/we-have-mr-putin-in-russia-and-he-appears-to-be-a-popular-president/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [At the same time, old confrontations have taken on frightening urgency, especially the India-Pakistan conflict over Kashmir and the violent stalemate in the Middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/at-the-same-time-old-confrontations-have-taken-on-frightening-urgency/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“Arabs and other Muslims generally agreed that Saddam Hussein might be a bloody tyrant, but, paralleling FDR's thinking, "he is our bloody tyrant." In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/arabs-and-other-muslims-generally-agreed-that-saddam-hussein-might-be/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [I am ... willing to make it clear that American foreign policy must uphold the sanctity of international treaties. That is the cornerstone on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-am-willing-to-make-it-clear-that-american-foreign-policy-must/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) ## More by Madeleine Albright > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [No matter how hard we might wish, we will not be able to transform China's behavior overnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/no-matter-how-hard-we-might-wish-we-will-not-be-able-to-transform/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [There are a lot of similar aspects in all the religions. The question is which side of it you hold up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/there-are-a-lot-of-similar-aspects-in-all-the-religions-the-question/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Whatever the job you are asked to do at whatever level, do a good job because your reputation is your resume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/whatever-the-job-you-are-asked-to-do-at-whatever-level-do-a-good-job/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [I am often asked if, when I was secretary, I had problems with foreign men. That is not who I had problems with, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/i-am-often-asked-if-when-i-was-secretary-i-had-problems-with-foreign/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Every new president inherits headaches, but President Obama has inherited an entire emergency room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/every-new-president-inherits-headaches-but-president-obama-has/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [I am by nature a worried optimist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/i-am-by-nature-a-worried-optimist/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [If there's nobody in your way, you're not going anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/if-there-s-nobody-in-your-way-you-re-not-going-anywhere/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [I can't imagine what it is like to be raised in a society where their only statues that exist are to you and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/i-can-t-imagine-what-it-is-like-to-be-raised-in-a-society-where-their/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [I bought ... the pins with my three daughters in mind; the ships are beautiful, graceful, and moving along at full sail, having long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/i-bought-the-pins-with-my-three-daughters-in-mind-the-ships-are/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [“I also think it is important for women to help one another. I have a saying: There is a special place in hell for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/i-also-think-it-is-important-for-women-to-help-one-another-i-have-a/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [The capability of negotiating... is something that means you not only have to understand fully what you believe and what your national interests are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/the-capability-of-negotiating-is-something-that-means-you-not-only/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [I know that war is very cruel and that life is harder when you aren't able to live in the place you called home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/i-know-that-war-is-very-cruel-and-that-life-is-harder-when-you-aren-t/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Women are more than 50% of almost every country in the world. Countries rob themselves of the resources of women if they keep them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/women-are-more-than-50-of-almost-every-country-in-the-world-countries/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [What you have to be concerned about are the extremists. On the whole, we need to understand the more moderate Muslims before they become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/what-you-have-to-be-concerned-about-are-the-extremists-on-the-whole/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) [Explore all 248 Madeleine Albright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) ## More American foreign policy quotes > [I am ... willing to make it clear that American foreign policy must uphold the sanctity of international treaties. That is the cornerstone on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-am-willing-to-make-it-clear-that-american-foreign-policy-must/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“Arabs and other Muslims generally agreed that Saddam Hussein might be a bloody tyrant, but, paralleling FDR's thinking, "he is our bloody tyrant." In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/arabs-and-other-muslims-generally-agreed-that-saddam-hussein-might-be/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [At the same time, old confrontations have taken on frightening urgency, especially the India-Pakistan conflict over Kashmir and the violent stalemate in the Middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/at-the-same-time-old-confrontations-have-taken-on-frightening-urgency/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [We have Mr. Putin in Russia. And he appears to be a popular president of Russia. And I don't think it's the business of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/we-have-mr-putin-in-russia-and-he-appears-to-be-a-popular-president/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [“Al Qaeda's central political objective is the creation of an Islamic republic, not the progressive realignment of American foreign policy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cottee/al-qaeda-s-central-political-objective-is-the-creation-of-an-islamic/) Simon Cottee > [Frankly, I do not know how to effect a permanency in American foreign policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/frankly-i-do-not-know-how-to-effect-a-permanency-in-american-foreign/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [I’m a Muslim, we come from a Muslim community and we are very critical of western or American foreign policy. So if I’ve got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/i-m-a-muslim-we-come-from-a-muslim-community-and-we-are-very-critical/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [Hillary Clinton is pretty much what we would call a foreign-policy realist, someone who thinks the purpose of American foreign policy should be to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/hillary-clinton-is-pretty-much-what-we-would-call-a-foreign-policy/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [We need American foreign policy that tells the world very clearly that it is bad to be our enemy and good to be our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/we-need-american-foreign-policy-that-tells-the-world-very-clearly/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [The thing that should most concern us is a shift in American foreign policy. We have had a bipartisan belief in American foreign policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/the-thing-that-should-most-concern-us-is-a-shift-in-american-foreign/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [But on the other hand, in discussion and debate concerning social issues or American foreign policy, Vietnam or the Middle East, for example, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/but-on-the-other-hand-in-discussion-and-debate-concerning-social/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [My job is to try to advance American foreign policy, to try to advance the president's agenda on democracy and human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/my-job-is-to-try-to-advance-american-foreign-policy-to-try-to-advance/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [If America was trying to keep the bubonic plague out of its hemisphere, Canadians would import it just to show their independence of American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-amiel/if-america-was-trying-to-keep-the-bubonic-plague-out-of-its/) [Barbara Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-amiel/) > [The people I see on bicycles look like organic-gardening zealots who advocate federal regulation of bedtime and want American foreign policy to be dictated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-people-i-see-on-bicycles-look-like-organic-gardening-zealots-who/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [ No, \[the U.S.\] has made it clear that we consider a peaceful resolution an essential aspect of American foreign policy. This I believe to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/no-the-u-s-has-made-it-clear-that-we-consider-a-peaceful-resolution/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) [Browse all 30 American foreign policy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-foreign-policy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The reason I made women's issues central to American foreign policy, was not because I was a feminist, but because we know that societies are more stable if women are politically and economically empowered.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Madeleine Albright" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/the-reason-i-made-women-s-issues-central-to-american-foreign-policy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American foreign policy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/the-reason-i-made-women-s-issues-central-to-american-foreign-policy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/madeleine-albright-1360_american-foreign-pol_the-reason-i-made-women-s-issues-central_208440.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/madeleine-albright-1360_american-foreign-pol_the-reason-i-made-women-s-issues-central_208440.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/madeleine-albright-1360_american-foreign-pol_the-reason-i-made-women-s-issues-central_208440.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The reason I made women's issues central to American foreign policy, was not because I was a feminist, but…” — Madeleine Albright", "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": "Madeleine Albright", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The reason I made women's issues...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/the-reason-i-made-women-s-issues-central-to-american-foreign-policy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/the-reason-i-made-women-s-issues-central-to-american-foreign-policy/#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 } } ] } ```