--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every woman knows what I'm talking about…" description: "\"Every woman knows what I'm talking about. It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/rebecca-solnit-569_crush_every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about_1699076.jpg" --- # Every woman knows what I'm talking about. It’s the… ![“Every woman knows what I'm talking about. It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare; that crushes young women into silence by indicating, the way harassment on the street does, that this is…” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/rebecca-solnit-569_crush_every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about_1699076.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/rebecca-solnit-569_crush_every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about_1699076.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/rebecca-solnit-569_crush_every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about_1699076.jpg) > “Every woman knows what I'm talking about. It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare; that crushes young women into silence by indicating, the way harassment on the street does, that this is not their world. It trains us in self-doubt and self-limitation just as it exercises men’s unsupported overconfidence.” [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal assumptions silence women, fostering self‑doubt and limiting voices, while reinforcing men’s overconfidence; challenging these norms requires awareness and collective action. **In simple terms:** Assumptions mute women and boost men’s confidence, creating inequality. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge silencing assumptions. Themes gender silence power confidence inequality Mood frustrated determined hopeful Type activist analytical When to use this quote - workplace meetings - public speaking - street harassment - academic forums - media interviews Key Concepts feminism social dynamics psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions amplify women’s voices? - What personal steps break self‑imposed silence? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑rooted cultural norms is slow and resistant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crush/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Harassment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harassment/) [Limitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limitation/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Overconfidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overconfidence/) [Presumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presumption/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-doubt/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Speaking up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking-up/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Young women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-women/) ## Related quotes > [“Every woman knows what I’m talking about. It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about-it-s-the-presumption-that/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Women speaking up for themselves and for those around them is the strongest force we have to change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/women-speaking-up-for-themselves-and-for-those-around-them-is-the/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [More women speaking up and seizing the helm of power can create its own momentum. It can change the culture that helps perpetuate those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-birdsall/more-women-speaking-up-and-seizing-the-helm-of-power-can-create-its/) Nancy Birdsall > [We have never escaped a certain male cultural desire for women's silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/we-have-never-escaped-a-certain-male-cultural-desire-for-women-s/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [I can hear the roar of women's silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sankara/i-can-hear-the-roar-of-women-s-silence/) [Thomas Sankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sankara/) > [Woman, to women silence is the best ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/woman-to-women-silence-is-the-best-ornament/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [For whatever reason, some sorts of women's silence were broken by MeToo. This is the optimistic bit. And that will lead to a much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/for-whatever-reason-some-sorts-of-women-s-silence-were-broken-by/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [To women silence gives their proper grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/to-women-silence-gives-their-proper-grace/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Comrades, there is no true social revolution without the liberation of women. May my eyes never see and my feet never take me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sankara/comrades-there-is-no-true-social-revolution-without-the-liberation-of/) [Thomas Sankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sankara/) > [The #metoo campaign opened a particular window into the gender dynamics in technology, with many prominent women speaking out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-chang/the-metoo-campaign-opened-a-particular-window-into-the-gender/) [Emily Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-chang/) > [You can't address yourself to women by speaking a language which no average woman will understand. In my opinion, it's wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/you-can-t-address-yourself-to-women-by-speaking-a-language-which-no/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [“The greater part of a men who speak ill of women are speaking of a certain woman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/the-greater-part-of-a-men-who-speak-ill-of-women-are-speaking-of-a/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [“Other ayatollahs considered the female voice arousing and barred women from speaking in mixed gatherings unless they first put a stone in their mouths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/other-ayatollahs-considered-the-female-voice-arousing-and-barred/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [I was raised by a strong mother who always taught me to speak up, I never had difficulty leaving an uncomfortable situation or cutting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-garrn/i-was-raised-by-a-strong-mother-who-always-taught-me-to-speak-up-i-2/) [Toni Garrn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-garrn/) > [I am really glad women are speaking out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-brooks/i-am-really-glad-women-are-speaking-out/) [Danielle Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-brooks/) ## More by Rebecca Solnit > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“To love someone is to put yourself in their place, we say, which is to put ourself in their story, or figure out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/to-love-someone-is-to-put-yourself-in-their-place-we-say-which-is-to/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“People have always been good at imagining the end of the world, which is much easier to picture than the strange sidelong paths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/people-have-always-been-good-at-imagining-the-end-of-the-world-which/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Whose maps are we trying to read? And what are we trying to draw? It's so common to live in a place without truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/whose-maps-are-we-trying-to-read-and-what-are-we-trying-to-draw-it-s/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“I was being cured of soldiering on endlessly: my job was now to be still, which had become almost easy at last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-was-being-cured-of-soldiering-on-endlessly-my-job-was-now-to-be/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [In the aftermath of 9/11, people had not a good time, but a deep, profound, rousing time, woke up from their ennui and isolation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/in-the-aftermath-of-9-11-people-had-not-a-good-time-but-a-deep/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“I wonder now about Demeter and Persephone. Maybe Persephone was glad to run off with the king of death to his underground realm, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-wonder-now-about-demeter-and-persephone-maybe-persephone-was-glad/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [ \[In mountaineering, if\] we look for private experience rather than public history, even getting to the top becomes an optional narrative rather than the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/in-mountaineering-if-we-look-for-private-experience-rather-than/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [For me, being in a car or on an airplane is like being in limbo. It's this dead zone between two places. But to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/for-me-being-in-a-car-or-on-an-airplane-is-like-being-in-limbo-it-s/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“How do you calculate upon the unforeseen? It seems to be an art of recognizing the role of the unforeseen, of keeping your balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/how-do-you-calculate-upon-the-unforeseen-it-seems-to-be-an-art-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/walking-shares-with-making-and-working-that-crucial-element-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Marriage equality is a threat: to inequality. It’s a boon to everyone who values and benefits from equality. It’s for all of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/marriage-equality-is-a-threat-to-inequality-it-s-a-boon-to-everyone/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Mountaineering is always spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/mountaineering-is-always-spoken-of-as-though-summiting-is-conquest/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Explore all 469 Rebecca Solnit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## More Crush quotes > [Mortals are such fragile things. Just tender feelings walking around exposed in their delicate shells...Easy to crush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/mortals-are-such-fragile-things-just-tender-feelings-walking-around/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [Each child’s story is worthy of telling. There shouldn’t be a sliding scale of death. The weight of it is crushing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/each-child-s-story-is-worthy-of-telling-there-shouldn-t-be-a-sliding/) [Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/) > [I wish that I coul be her. but in the mean time dont forget about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenzie-ann/i-wish-that-i-coul-be-her-but-in-the-mean-time-dont-forget-about-me/) [Kenzie-ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenzie-ann/) > [I had to smile when stories emerged questioning whether I was gay. Obviously I knew I wasn't but people were curiously desperate to suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-had-to-smile-when-stories-emerged-questioning-whether-i-was-gay/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [I already know that u know that I like u, the question is Wat r u going to do with that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/i-already-know-that-u-know-that-i-like-u-the-question-is-wat-r-u/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“My mom believed that you make your own luck. Over the stove she had hung these old, maroon painted letters that spell out, “MANIFEST.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-laybourne/my-mom-believed-that-you-make-your-own-luck-over-the-stove-she-had/) [Emmy Laybourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-laybourne/) > [I'm very disturbed to find out that the leader of the Townies has a soul and I'm beginning to develop a bit of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-m-very-disturbed-to-find-out-that-the-leader-of-the-townies-has-a/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [“Connor Crane was currently the secret crush of half the female HHH population. And a couple of the males, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-halliday/connor-crane-was-currently-the-secret-crush-of-half-the-female-hhh/) [Gemma Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-halliday/) > [My dream would be to hear rocks at my window n to look out and see u just standing there, in the pouring rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blondie/my-dream-would-be-to-hear-rocks-at-my-window-n-to-look-out-and-see-u/) [Blondie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blondie/) > [Tireless passion, fierce jealousy, longing to possess and crush-these alone were left of all his love for Rosalind; these remained to him as payment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/tireless-passion-fierce-jealousy-longing-to-possess-and-crush-these/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [...It's an unmeetable level of writing. But even if it's something I feel like I can't ever attain, it doesn't crush my spirit. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-banks/it-s-an-unmeetable-level-of-writing-but-even-if-it-s-something-i-feel/) [Paul Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-banks/) > [Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Hold tenderly that which you cherish, for it is precious and a tight grip may crush it. Do not let the fear of dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-alberti/hold-tenderly-that-which-you-cherish-for-it-is-precious-and-a-tight/) Bob Alberti > [In love, making your crush jealous is not going to help it would just make it more complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-valdez/in-love-making-your-crush-jealous-is-not-going-to-help-it-would-just/) [Sarah Valdez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-valdez/) [Browse all 2,147 Crush quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crush/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every woman knows what I'm talking about. It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare; that crushes young women into silence by indicating, the way harassment on the street does, that this is not their world. It trains us in self-doubt and self-limitation just as it exercises men’s unsupported overconfidence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca Solnit" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about-it-s-the-presumption-that-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crush" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about-it-s-the-presumption-that-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/rebecca-solnit-569_crush_every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about_1699076.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/rebecca-solnit-569_crush_every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about_1699076.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/rebecca-solnit-569_crush_every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about_1699076.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every woman knows what I'm talking about. It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman…” — Rebecca Solnit", "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": "Rebecca Solnit", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every woman knows what I'm talking...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about-it-s-the-presumption-that-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/every-woman-knows-what-i-m-talking-about-it-s-the-presumption-that-2/#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 } } ] } ```