--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things can get pretty rough out there,\"…" description: "\"“Things can get pretty rough out there,\" he says. \"Can't they? For you girls? You're all a bunch of warriors, aren't you? Lionhearted.”\" — Megan Abbott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/megan-abbott-9549_lionhearted_things-can-get-pretty-rough-out-there-he_1633803.png" --- # Things can get pretty rough out there," he says. "Can't… ![“Things can get pretty rough out there," he says. "Can't they? For you girls? You're all a bunch of warriors, aren't you? Lionhearted.” quote by Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/megan-abbott-9549_lionhearted_things-can-get-pretty-rough-out-there-he_1633803.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/megan-abbott-9549_lionhearted_things-can-get-pretty-rough-out-there-he_1633803.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/megan-abbott-9549_lionhearted_things-can-get-pretty-rough-out-there-he_1633803.png) > ““Things can get pretty rough out there," he says. "Can't they? For you girls? You're all a bunch of warriors, aren't you? Lionhearted.”” [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Women are portrayed as resilient warriors, embodying courage and strength in harsh circumstances. **In simple terms:** Women are shown as brave and strong in tough times. Key Takeaway Recognize and celebrate inner strength. Themes gender strength resilience warrior archetype identity Mood empowering reflective Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - reading groups - women’s workshops - personal development - storytelling sessions Key Concepts feminist literature character archetypes psychology of bravery Questions to Reflect On - What does being a “lionhearted” woman mean to you? - How can we support real empowerment beyond narrative? A Different Perspective Risk of romanticizing struggle without addressing systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [“Don’t stand up too quick. ‘Wasted effort since she was able to stand without touching the ceiling.’ Must have been a damn small bunch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/don-t-stand-up-too-quick-wasted-effort-since-she-was-able-to-stand/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“I am B rave. I am O bstinate. I am L ionhearted. I am D auntless. Hence, I am BOLD.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/i-am-b-rave-i-am-o-bstinate-i-am-l-ionhearted-i-am-d-auntless-hence-i/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“I aim to be lionhearted, but my hands still shake and my voice isn’t quite loud enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-k/i-aim-to-be-lionhearted-but-my-hands-still-shake-and-my-voice-isn-t/) Michelle K > [“Just as nothing produces paralyzing apathy like doubt and resignation, nothing produces cleverness like staring down a crisis with a lionhearted snarl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/just-as-nothing-produces-paralyzing-apathy-like-doubt-and-resignation/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [I would prefer to be known as Richard the Lionhearted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cordray/i-would-prefer-to-be-known-as-richard-the-lionhearted/) [Richard Cordray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cordray/) > [Even the tiniest poodle is lionhearted, ready to do anything to defend home, master, and mistress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sabin/even-the-tiniest-poodle-is-lionhearted-ready-to-do-anything-to-defend/) [Louis Sabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sabin/) > [“Lionhearted woman carrying silver swords beneath your skin. Your heart is huge, copious courage you hold within. You fight and never give in when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-lee/lionhearted-woman-carrying-silver-swords-beneath-your-skin-your-heart/) [Melody Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-lee/) > [The competition is pretty rough these days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-randall/the-competition-is-pretty-rough-these-days/) [Tony Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-randall/) > [Life, is easy. And if yours isn't, quit whining. Oh, wait. unless you're just a head amd then, you do have it pretty rough.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/life-is-easy-and-if-yours-isn-t-quit-whining-oh-wait-unless-you-re/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I understand that Detroit was a pretty rough place to grow up in the '70s and '80s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/i-understand-that-detroit-was-a-pretty-rough-place-to-grow-up-in-the/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [I think being a young female star must be really, really pretty rough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karyn-kusama/i-think-being-a-young-female-star-must-be-really-really-pretty-rough/) [Karyn Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karyn-kusama/) > [You know, we've had some pretty rough festival stages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-harding/you-know-we-ve-had-some-pretty-rough-festival-stages/) [Aldous Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-harding/) > [I'm an actress so the amount of rejection and commentary you get right to your face is pretty rough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-griffith/i-m-an-actress-so-the-amount-of-rejection-and-commentary-you-get/) [Melanie Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-griffith/) > [It's pretty rough in South Africa. It's a rough culture. Imagine rough - well, it's rougher than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/it-s-pretty-rough-in-south-africa-it-s-a-rough-culture-imagine-rough/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [I grew up in a pretty rough neighborhood, Paramount, California, outside of L.A., like near Compton, that's where I'm from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-basco/i-grew-up-in-a-pretty-rough-neighborhood-paramount-california-outside/) [Dante Basco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-basco/) ## More by Megan Abbott > [“She said I'd better not make her unhappy because I oughta know that she's never unhappy alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/she-said-i-d-better-not-make-her-unhappy-because-i-oughta-know-that/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [Reading Dorothy B. Hughes's novel 'In a Lonely Place' for the first time is like finding the long-lost final piece to an enormous puzzle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/reading-dorothy-b-hughes-s-novel-in-a-lonely-place-for-the-first-time/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [“Bobby pins crunching under my feet, I walk through, surveying the damaged girlness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/bobby-pins-crunching-under-my-feet-i-walk-through-surveying-the/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [If it hadn't been what it was, it would've been beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/if-it-hadn-t-been-what-it-was-it-would-ve-been-beautiful/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [I'm always surprised at the negative response to the women in my books who are openly ambitious or experience aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/i-m-always-surprised-at-the-negative-response-to-the-women-in-my/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [I will read anything at all by Kate Atkinson, Daniel Woodrell, and William Kennedy, who are all fearless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/i-will-read-anything-at-all-by-kate-atkinson-daniel-woodrell-and/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [“But she became Gabby’s friend in that way that can happen, because the girl with the cool boots always finds the girl with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/but-she-became-gabby-s-friend-in-that-way-that-can-happen-because-the/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [“Where’d that world go, that world when you’re a kid, and now I can’t remember noticing anything, not the smell of the leaves or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/where-d-that-world-go-that-world-when-you-re-a-kid-and-now-i-can-t/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [“This girl, this girl, and he a man with a business and a secretary and a house with a furnace and bills and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/this-girl-this-girl-and-he-a-man-with-a-business-and-a-secretary-and/) [megan abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [The speed of the TV stuff vs. the self-imposed pace of novel writing has been a big adjustment, and going back and forth often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/the-speed-of-the-tv-stuff-vs-the-self-imposed-pace-of-novel-writing/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [“We’re all the same under our skin, aren’t we? We’re all wanting things we don’t understand. Things we can’t even name. The yearning so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/we-re-all-the-same-under-our-skin-aren-t-we-we-re-all-wanting-things/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [“I think she might cry. In her way, she is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/i-think-she-might-cry-in-her-way-she-is/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [The more I did it-the more it owned me. It made things matter. It put a spine into my spineless life and that spine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/the-more-i-did-it-the-more-it-owned-me-it-made-things-matter-it-put-a/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [“Here he is, the man who knows things and who should want to help me. But it is so hard to bring up things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/here-he-is-the-man-who-knows-things-and-who-should-want-to-help-me/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [On 'The Deuce,' the writers' room gets like group therapy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/on-the-deuce-the-writers-room-gets-like-group-therapy/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) [Explore all 72 Megan Abbott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) ## More Lionhearted quotes > [“Lionhearted woman carrying silver swords beneath your skin. Your heart is huge, copious courage you hold within. You fight and never give in when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-lee/lionhearted-woman-carrying-silver-swords-beneath-your-skin-your-heart/) [Melody Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-lee/) > [Even the tiniest poodle is lionhearted, ready to do anything to defend home, master, and mistress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sabin/even-the-tiniest-poodle-is-lionhearted-ready-to-do-anything-to-defend/) [Louis Sabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sabin/) > [I would prefer to be known as Richard the Lionhearted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cordray/i-would-prefer-to-be-known-as-richard-the-lionhearted/) [Richard Cordray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cordray/) > [“Just as nothing produces paralyzing apathy like doubt and resignation, nothing produces cleverness like staring down a crisis with a lionhearted snarl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/just-as-nothing-produces-paralyzing-apathy-like-doubt-and-resignation/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [“I aim to be lionhearted, but my hands still shake and my voice isn’t quite loud enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-k/i-aim-to-be-lionhearted-but-my-hands-still-shake-and-my-voice-isn-t/) Michelle K > [“I am B rave. I am O bstinate. I am L ionhearted. I am D auntless. Hence, I am BOLD.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/i-am-b-rave-i-am-o-bstinate-i-am-l-ionhearted-i-am-d-auntless-hence-i/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) Browse all 7 Lionhearted quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Things can get pretty rough out there,\" he says. \"Can't they? For you girls? You're all a bunch of warriors, aren't you? 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