--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's hard to negotiate the present…" description: "\"It's hard to negotiate the present landscape with a brain and a female body.\" — Meryl Streep" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/meryl-streep-1078_body_it-s-hard-to-negotiate-the-present-lands_435936.jpg" --- # It's hard to negotiate the present landscape with a brain… ![“It's hard to negotiate the present landscape with a brain and a female body.” quote by Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/meryl-streep-1078_body_it-s-hard-to-negotiate-the-present-lands_435936.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/meryl-streep-1078_body_it-s-hard-to-negotiate-the-present-lands_435936.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/meryl-streep-1078_body_it-s-hard-to-negotiate-the-present-lands_435936.jpg) > “It's hard to negotiate the present landscape with a brain and a female body.” [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Navigating modern challenges is harder for women because societal expectations and biases intersect with professional demands. **In simple terms:** Women face extra hurdles due to gender bias. Key Takeaway Advocate for equitable structures. Themes gender bias career challenges intersectionality Mood analytical empathetic Type testimonial policy‑oriented When to use this quote - corporate meetings - salary negotiations - leadership roles - mentoring programs Key Concepts structural inequality neurodiversity work‑life balance Questions to Reflect On - What policies best support women in male‑dominated fields? - How does personal identity affect negotiation tactics? A Different Perspective Progress can be uneven across cultures and industries. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brain Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-female-883888/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Female body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-body/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Landscape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landscape/) [Landscape Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landscape-brain-3832883/) [Present Landscape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-landscape-3832884/) ## Related quotes > [“When a pregnant woman experiences stress, the brain of a female fetus will become more male and vice versa”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-f-swaab/when-a-pregnant-woman-experiences-stress-the-brain-of-a-female-fetus/) [D.F. Swaab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-f-swaab/) > [Once you stop talking about the female body empowering itself vis-à-vis male forays or invasions or male demands or the necessity to respond to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/once-you-stop-talking-about-the-female-body-empowering-itself-vis-vis/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [The nationalism I seek is one that decolonizes the brown and female body as it decolonizes the brown and female earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherrie-moraga/the-nationalism-i-seek-is-one-that-decolonizes-the-brown-and-female/) [Cherrie Moraga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherrie-moraga/) > [Alienation between the content and form happens frequently in my poems because I obstinately carry on dismantling my body, an act you can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hyesoon/alienation-between-the-content-and-form-happens-frequently-in-my/) [Kim Hyesoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hyesoon/) > [The man takes a body that is not his, claims it, sows his so-called seed, reaps a harvest - he colonizes a female body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-man-takes-a-body-that-is-not-his-claims-it-sows-his-so-called/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [I was trying to develop a completely new, nonvoyeuristic approach to the female body as something other than a visual object. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valie-export/i-was-trying-to-develop-a-completely-new-nonvoyeuristic-approach-to/) [Valie Export](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valie-export/) > [It will probably take several more generations before the female body can be considered a stand-in for the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pipilotti-rist/it-will-probably-take-several-more-generations-before-the-female-body/) [Pipilotti Rist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pipilotti-rist/) > [The female body is a beautiful thing, and it should be embraced and celebrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-ratajkowski/the-female-body-is-a-beautiful-thing-and-it-should-be-embraced-and/) [Emily Ratajkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-ratajkowski/) > [They are, in a sense, two sides of the same coin: women are, on the one hand, subjects of an extremely real and abject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mulvey/they-are-in-a-sense-two-sides-of-the-same-coin-women-are-on-the-one/) [Laura Mulvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mulvey/) > [“I don't think I could ever live with either a man or a woman for a long time. Male and female are attractive to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-thirlwell/i-don-t-think-i-could-ever-live-with-either-a-man-or-a-woman-for-a/) [Adam Thirlwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-thirlwell/) > [“The techno-medical model of maternity care, unlike the midwifery model, is comparatively new on the world scene, having existed for barely two centuries. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-may-gaskin/the-techno-medical-model-of-maternity-care-unlike-the-midwifery-model/) [Ina May Gaskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-may-gaskin/) > [“the dangerous female body that somehow, in Muslim society, had been made to carry the heavy burden of male honor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/the-dangerous-female-body-that-somehow-in-muslim-society-had-been/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [Alber Elbaz really understands the female body and his designs are so flattering to the female form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-gardot/alber-elbaz-really-understands-the-female-body-and-his-designs-are-so/) [Melody Gardot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-gardot/) > [“In the 1970s, while researching in the Library of Congress, I found an obscure history of religious architecture that assumed a fact as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/in-the-1970s-while-researching-in-the-library-of-congress-i-found-an/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“I have always enjoyed watching women dress. The appeal isn't sexual. Most girls' first glimpse of private female life is watching their mothers dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-have-always-enjoyed-watching-women-dress-the-appeal-isn-t-sexual/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) ## More by Meryl Streep > [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [I do honestly think that if women were running the world there would be more investment in peace, because basically as women we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/i-do-honestly-think-that-if-women-were-running-the-world-there-would/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [My feeling about fears is, if you voice your fears, they may come true. I'm superstitious enough to believe that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/my-feeling-about-fears-is-if-you-voice-your-fears-they-may-come-true/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [The work itself is the reward, and if I choose challenging work, it'll pay me back with interest. At least I'll be interested, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/the-work-itself-is-the-reward-and-if-i-choose-challenging-work-it-ll/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [This act of empathy, that women go through from the time we're little girls - we read all of literature, all of history, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/this-act-of-empathy-that-women-go-through-from-the-time-we-re-little/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [Some men can maintain cragginess and weary masculinity. Women just get old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/some-men-can-maintain-cragginess-and-weary-masculinity-women-just-get/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [Well, I got better after this, and my entire family really did appreciate it. Usually, they're resentful of movies that I go off and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/well-i-got-better-after-this-and-my-entire-family-really-did/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [Acting is not about being someone different. It's finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/acting-is-not-about-being-someone-different-it-s-finding-the/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [I didn't really like opera. I liked cheerleading and boys and, later, smoking. So my opera career was cut short when I was 15.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/i-didn-t-really-like-opera-i-liked-cheerleading-and-boys-and-later/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [Life is all about making choices and I'm very happy with mine. I have had a wonderful time raising four children and I've also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/life-is-all-about-making-choices-and-i-m-very-happy-with-mine-i-have/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [Leave me to the thing I love. I love acting. But being called 'the greatest living actress' - a designation not even my mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/leave-me-to-the-thing-i-love-i-love-acting-but-being-called-the/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [I have a very busy life, and not many people who have a career and four kids go out a lot to the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/i-have-a-very-busy-life-and-not-many-people-who-have-a-career-and/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [I go to a lot of movies where people are all around me laughing, and I feel like I'm from outer space because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/i-go-to-a-lot-of-movies-where-people-are-all-around-me-laughing-and-i/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [People say, When you have children, everything changes. But maybe things are awakened that were already there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/people-say-when-you-have-children-everything-changes-but-maybe-things/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [You have to embrace getting older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/you-have-to-embrace-getting-older/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) [Explore all 296 Meryl Streep quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's hard to negotiate the present landscape with a brain and a female body.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Meryl Streep" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/it-s-hard-to-negotiate-the-present-landscape-with-a-brain-and-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/it-s-hard-to-negotiate-the-present-landscape-with-a-brain-and-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/meryl-streep-1078_body_it-s-hard-to-negotiate-the-present-lands_435936.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/meryl-streep-1078_body_it-s-hard-to-negotiate-the-present-lands_435936.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/meryl-streep-1078_body_it-s-hard-to-negotiate-the-present-lands_435936.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's hard to negotiate the present landscape with a brain and a female body.” — Meryl Streep", "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": "Meryl Streep", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's hard to negotiate the present...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/it-s-hard-to-negotiate-the-present-landscape-with-a-brain-and-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/it-s-hard-to-negotiate-the-present-landscape-with-a-brain-and-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 } } ] } ```