--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The axiomatic thing about Saudi society…" description: "\"“The axiomatic thing about Saudi society is that while there are a seemingly infinite number of rules, it is also possible for people in authority to g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/manal-al-sharif-12323_discrimination_the-axiomatic-thing-about-saudi-society_2643023.jpg" --- # The axiomatic thing about Saudi society is that while… ![“The axiomatic thing about Saudi society is that while there are a seemingly infinite number of rules, it is also possible for people in authority to go outside those rules, and, if not break them, at least bend them quite a bit.” quote by Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/manal-al-sharif-12323_discrimination_the-axiomatic-thing-about-saudi-society_2643023.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/manal-al-sharif-12323_discrimination_the-axiomatic-thing-about-saudi-society_2643023.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/manal-al-sharif-12323_discrimination_the-axiomatic-thing-about-saudi-society_2643023.jpg) > ““The axiomatic thing about Saudi society is that while there are a seemingly infinite number of rules, it is also possible for people in authority to go outside those rules, and, if not break them, at least bend them quite a bit.”” [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Saudi society has many rules, yet authorities can bend or break them, revealing double standards. **In simple terms:** Rules are many, but leaders can bend them. Key Takeaway Question authority’s fairness. Themes society rules authority double standards Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - politics - workplace - education Key Concepts power dynamics legal flexibility Questions to Reflect On - How do rules affect everyday life? - When should rules be challenged? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex systems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discrimination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discrimination/) [Exception to the rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exception-to-the-rule/) [Patriarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriarchy/) [Saudi-women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saudi-women/) ## Related quotes > [“She took my papers, the papers that had followed me from the Khobar police station to jail, and pointed at a place where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/she-took-my-papers-the-papers-that-had-followed-me-from-the-khobar/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“So you’re the infamous Manal al-Sharif,” he said, eyeing me from behind his desk. “Aren’t you ashamed of what you did?” “Is driving a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/so-you-re-the-infamous-manal-al-sharif-he-said-eyeing-me-from-behind/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“I got a text from my husband. “Manal, you are divorced,” it read. “Your papers are in the court of Khobar.” I was divorced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/i-got-a-text-from-my-husband-manal-you-are-divorced-it-read-your/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“I was lonely, desperate, and angry. At that moment, I truly understood what it meant to be a Saudi woman. It meant being confronted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/i-was-lonely-desperate-and-angry-at-that-moment-i-truly-understood/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“How beautiful it is to live in a world with no walls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/how-beautiful-it-is-to-live-in-a-world-with-no-walls/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“We were like captive animals that had lost the will to fight. We even went so far as to defend the very constraints that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/we-were-like-captive-animals-that-had-lost-the-will-to-fight-we-even/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“Because my mother couldn't change my present, I decided to change my daughter's future”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/because-my-mother-couldn-t-change-my-present-i-decided-to-change-my/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [In Saudi society, women are extremely respected. I never had an issue with that at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lubna-olayan/in-saudi-society-women-are-extremely-respected-i-never-had-an-issue/) [Lubna Olayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lubna-olayan/) > [“Freedom is to live with dignity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/freedom-is-to-live-with-dignity/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“I knew that I wouldn’t be able to apply for the ID card without his signature, but I went to the registry office anyway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/i-knew-that-i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-apply-for-the-id-card-without-his/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“It is an amazing contradiction: a society that frowns on a woman going out without a man; that forces you to use separate entrances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/it-is-an-amazing-contradiction-a-society-that-frowns-on-a-woman-going/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“How odd it is that we judge a woman by her clothes and the place she eats lunch and the subjects she talks about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/how-odd-it-is-that-we-judge-a-woman-by-her-clothes-and-the-place-she/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“When we’d finished, I asked the division planner if he had left out anyone in the division. “No, Manal,” he told me. “I’m quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/when-we-d-finished-i-asked-the-division-planner-if-he-had-left-out/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“The rules on what is possible and impossible in the arts were made by people who had not tested the bounds of the possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-rules-on-what-is-possible-and-impossible-in-the-arts-were-made-by/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Follow the rules whenever possible. That makes it a lot more surprising when you break them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/follow-the-rules-whenever-possible-that-makes-it-a-lot-more/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) ## More by Manal al-Sharif > [“Freedom is to live with dignity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/freedom-is-to-live-with-dignity/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“I had to smuggle an early Nokia camera cell phone into the country from Bahrain in 2004. There was a large black market for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/i-had-to-smuggle-an-early-nokia-camera-cell-phone-into-the-country/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [I love my sons, I love my husband, and I love my country. But in kingdoms of men, there are few - if any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/i-love-my-sons-i-love-my-husband-and-i-love-my-country-but-in/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [When I see something wrong, I speak up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/when-i-see-something-wrong-i-speak-up/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [Who do you think is more difficult to face: oppressive governments, or oppressive societies?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/who-do-you-think-is-more-difficult-to-face-oppressive-governments-or/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [I realised it is impossible to live with the rules they give Saudi women. Just impossible. You trying to do everything by the book,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/i-realised-it-is-impossible-to-live-with-the-rules-they-give-saudi/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“Because my mother couldn't change my present, I decided to change my daughter's future”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/because-my-mother-couldn-t-change-my-present-i-decided-to-change-my/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [For us, driving is not what we are looking for, but being in the driver's seat of our only destiny. That means ending guardianship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/for-us-driving-is-not-what-we-are-looking-for-but-being-in-the-driver/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [The Saudi ideal of a woman is a religious mother who rarely ventures out: She shouldn't work with men, she should be completely covered,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/the-saudi-ideal-of-a-woman-is-a-religious-mother-who-rarely-ventures/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [Women's rights are nothing but a part of the bigger picture, which is human rights. Women are trusted with the lives of their kids,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/women-s-rights-are-nothing-but-a-part-of-the-bigger-picture-which-is/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [“We were like captive animals that had lost the will to fight. We even went so far as to defend the very constraints that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/we-were-like-captive-animals-that-had-lost-the-will-to-fight-we-even/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [The rain begins with a single drop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/the-rain-begins-with-a-single-drop/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [I'm just a human being who would not accept being wronged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/i-m-just-a-human-being-who-would-not-accept-being-wronged/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [My father's generation of Saudi men are more liberal than the men of my generation. But with women, it's the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/my-father-s-generation-of-saudi-men-are-more-liberal-than-the-men-of/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) > [That is life for a Saudi woman: wherever we go, whatever we achieve, we are the property of a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/that-is-life-for-a-saudi-woman-wherever-we-go-whatever-we-achieve-we/) [Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) [Explore all 54 Manal al-Sharif quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/) ## More Discrimination quotes > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things - he never said that gay people should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/jesus-never-said-a-word-about-homosexuality-in-all-of-his-teachings/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [“Mental illness is not something you misunderstand in this era. Get educated because bias is no different than racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/mental-illness-is-not-something-you-misunderstand-in-this-era-get/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [I believe that those who promote discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or any other grounds are gravely mistaken about the values that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-clinton/i-believe-that-those-who-promote-discrimination-on-the-basis-of/) [Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/) > [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [It is obvious that discrimination exists. Women do not have the opportunities that men do. And women that do not conform to the system,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-obvious-that-discrimination-exists-women-do-not-have-the/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [The fact is that in too many parts of our country, we still have discrimination. And affirmative action is not just something that applies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/the-fact-is-that-in-too-many-parts-of-our-country-we-still-have/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Judging someone by the color of their skin is ignorant. Their skin complexion has nothing to do with their morals, beliefs or intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/judging-someone-by-the-color-of-their-skin-is-ignorant-their-skin/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We try to take a very strong stance against discrimination and hatred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-blecharczyk/we-try-to-take-a-very-strong-stance-against-discrimination-and-hatred/) [Nathan Blecharczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-blecharczyk/) > [I resolutely believe that respect for diversity is a fundamental pillar in the eradication of racism, xenophobia and intolerance. There is no excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/i-resolutely-believe-that-respect-for-diversity-is-a-fundamental/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [End discrimination and hate everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candy/end-discrimination-and-hate-everyone/) [Candy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candy/) > [This bill would allow an employee to bring a claim against an employer decades after the alleged initial act of discrimination occurred. Trial lawyers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-mckeon/this-bill-would-allow-an-employee-to-bring-a-claim-against-an/) Buck McKeon > [Legal discrimination between the sexes is, in almost every instance, founded on outmoded views of society and the pre-scientific beliefs about psychology and physiology.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/legal-discrimination-between-the-sexes-is-in-almost-every-instance/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) [Browse all 1,366 Discrimination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discrimination/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The axiomatic thing about Saudi society is that while there are a seemingly infinite number of rules, it is also possible for people in authority to go outside those rules, and, if not break them, at least bend them quite a bit.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Manal al-Sharif" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/the-axiomatic-thing-about-saudi-society-is-that-while-there-are-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discrimination" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/the-axiomatic-thing-about-saudi-society-is-that-while-there-are-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/manal-al-sharif-12323_discrimination_the-axiomatic-thing-about-saudi-society_2643023.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/manal-al-sharif-12323_discrimination_the-axiomatic-thing-about-saudi-society_2643023.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/manal-al-sharif-12323_discrimination_the-axiomatic-thing-about-saudi-society_2643023.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The axiomatic thing about Saudi society is that while there are a seemingly infinite number of rules, it is…” — Manal al-Sharif", "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": "Manal al-Sharif", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The axiomatic thing about Saudi society...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/the-axiomatic-thing-about-saudi-society-is-that-while-there-are-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/the-axiomatic-thing-about-saudi-society-is-that-while-there-are-a/#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 } } ] } ```