--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a writer believes that women do…" description: "\"“If a writer believes that women do nothing, then he will have to fantasize about their lives to make a good story. If a writer believes that women are..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/philippa-gregory-674_life_if-a-writer-believes-that-women-do-nothi_2937569.png" --- # If a writer believes that women do nothing, then he will… ![“If a writer believes that women do nothing, then he will have to fantasize about their lives to make a good story. If a writer believes that women are weak, rivalrous, and moody, then she will produce an account of them in which they cannot work together, or be trusted. But I know from my reading…” quote by Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/philippa-gregory-674_life_if-a-writer-believes-that-women-do-nothi_2937569.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/philippa-gregory-674_life_if-a-writer-believes-that-women-do-nothi_2937569.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/philippa-gregory-674_life_if-a-writer-believes-that-women-do-nothi_2937569.png) > ““If a writer believes that women do nothing, then he will have to fantasize about their lives to make a good story. If a writer believes that women are weak, rivalrous, and moody, then she will produce an account of them in which they cannot work together, or be trusted. But I know from my reading and from my own life that women are powerful agents of change who can collaborate together, who may love each other, and I base my story on the reality. But”” [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote challenges stereotypes about women, urging writers to portray them as capable, collaborative, and transformative rather than weak or antagonistic. **In simple terms:** Avoid gender stereotypes in storytelling. Key Takeaway Write women as powerful collaborators. Themes gender stereotypes representation collaboration empowerment literature Mood reflective inspirational critical Type analytical inspirational educational When to use this quote - Writing workshops - editing sessions - teaching literature - media criticism - creative projects Key Concepts Feminist theory character development social realism Questions to Reflect On - How can writers confront their own biases? - What impact does representation have on readers? A Different Perspective Stereotypes may persist despite evidence, and some audiences resist nuanced portrayals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Work together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-together/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Science fiction is really sociological studies of the future, things that the writer believes are going to happen by putting two and two together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/science-fiction-is-really-sociological-studies-of-the-future-things/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Don't hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident. . . . Every little qualifier whittles away some fraction of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/don-t-hedge-your-prose-with-little-timidities-good-writing-is-lean/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Any writer who believes in the 'lucky creative accident' in writing is pushing elephants on roller skates up greased ramps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-bishop/any-writer-who-believes-in-the-lucky-creative-accident-in-writing-is/) [Leonard Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-bishop/) > [“The average woman, unless she is particularly ill-favored, regards loving and being loved as a normal part of life. If a man says he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/the-average-woman-unless-she-is-particularly-ill-favored-regards/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [Labour believes that women hold the key to a strong economy - and the evidence backs that up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-reeves/labour-believes-that-women-hold-the-key-to-a-strong-economy-and-the/) [Rachel Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-reeves/) > [Does feminist mean large unpleasant person who'll shout at you or someone who believes women are human beings. To me it's the latter, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/does-feminist-mean-large-unpleasant-person-who-ll-shout-at-you-or/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [There are all kinds of ways in which women, together, change the world. And I don't mean that in a cheesy way. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/there-are-all-kinds-of-ways-in-which-women-together-change-the-world/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [If you're someone who genuinely believes that women don't deserve or aren't as much as men, you're like the plague. On the big history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/if-you-re-someone-who-genuinely-believes-that-women-don-t-deserve-or/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [But in terms of what men and women can do, I believe and I think that America as a whole believes that women can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-pavlich/but-in-terms-of-what-men-and-women-can-do-i-believe-and-i-think-that/) [Katie Pavlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-pavlich/) > [Feminism: An ideology that believes that women too are human!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/feminism-an-ideology-that-believes-that-women-too-are-human/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [I just don't know any other word than "feminist" that describes a person who believes women are people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/i-just-don-t-know-any-other-word-than-feminist-that-describes-a/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [No matter how strong a women is, she has a weak point. and sometime all she needs is a hug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lita/no-matter-how-strong-a-women-is-she-has-a-weak-point-and-sometime-all/) [Lita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lita/) > [Men err from selfishness; women because they are weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/men-err-from-selfishness-women-because-they-are-weak/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [The intense campaigns against domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment, and inequity in the schools all too often depend on an image of women as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/the-intense-campaigns-against-domestic-violence-rape-sexual/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [Only weak men want women to be weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fortier/only-weak-men-want-women-to-be-weak/) [Anne Fortier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fortier/) ## More by Philippa Gregory > [“Mother, before God," I say, my voice shaking with tears, "I swear that I have to believe that there is more for me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/mother-before-god-i-say-my-voice-shaking-with-tears-i-swear-that-i/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“Say yes,’ he whispers. ‘Marry me.’ I hesitate. I open my eyes. ‘You will get my fortune,’ I remark. ‘When I marry you, everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/say-yes-he-whispers-marry-me-i-hesitate-i-open-my-eyes-you-will-get/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“But I warn you that a woman who seeks great power and wealth has to pay a great price, Perhaps you will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/but-i-warn-you-that-a-woman-who-seeks-great-power-and-wealth-has-to/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“I raised my hand to wave in case he looked back; but he did not. He rode straight backed, looking forward. He rode like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-raised-my-hand-to-wave-in-case-he-looked-back-but-he-did-not-he/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“When you are still and thoughtful you are as lovely as the statues they are carving in Italy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/when-you-are-still-and-thoughtful-you-are-as-lovely-as-the-statues/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [Edward lives as if there is no tomorrow, Richard as if he wants no tomorrow, and George as though someone should give it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/edward-lives-as-if-there-is-no-tomorrow-richard-as-if-he-wants-no/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [You can smile when your heart is breaking because you're a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-can-smile-when-your-heart-is-breaking-because-you-re-a-woman/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [En Ma Fin Est Ma Commencement - In my end is my beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/en-ma-fin-est-ma-commencement-in-my-end-is-my-beginning/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“We fell asleep wrapped in each other as if we could not bear to part, even in sleep we could not bear to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/we-fell-asleep-wrapped-in-each-other-as-if-we-could-not-bear-to-part/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“One little boy, and he a bastard,' Anne said thoughtfully. 'One little girl of six, one elderly Queen and a King in the prime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/one-little-boy-and-he-a-bastard-anne-said-thoughtfully-one-little/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“We have been married little more than a year and already there is a terrible silence around some subjects. We never speak of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/we-have-been-married-little-more-than-a-year-and-already-there-is-a/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“It doesn’t matter if you call it magic or determination. It doesn’t matter if you make a spell or a plot. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/it-doesn-t-matter-if-you-call-it-magic-or-determination-it-doesn-t/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“You are my heart. Even if you are a broken heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-are-my-heart-even-if-you-are-a-broken-heart/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“I have overturned the order. Nothing will ever be the same for any woman in this country again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-have-overturned-the-order-nothing-will-ever-be-the-same-for-any/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“I will make my own future, not predict it. I don’t need a charm to tell me what I hope will happen. I throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-will-make-my-own-future-not-predict-it-i-don-t-need-a-charm-to-tell/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) [Explore all 408 Philippa Gregory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If a writer believes that women do nothing, then he will have to fantasize about their lives to make a good story. 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