---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For inspiration, we still demand the…"
description: "\"For inspiration, we still demand the rhetorical high notes. Clinton has hit them before, in her speech in Beijing as first lady when she said, 'Women's..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b36/rebecca-traister-4925_communication_for-inspiration-we-still-demand-the-rhet_1477267.jpg"
---

#  For inspiration, we still demand the rhetorical high…

![“For inspiration, we still demand the rhetorical high notes. Clinton has hit them before, in her speech in Beijing as first lady when she said, 'Women's rights are human rights,' and in her 2008 concession speech, when she talked about the '18 million cracks' in the glass ceiling.” quote by Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b36/rebecca-traister-4925_communication_for-inspiration-we-still-demand-the-rhet_1477267.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b36/rebecca-traister-4925_communication_for-inspiration-we-still-demand-the-rhet_1477267.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b36/rebecca-traister-4925_communication_for-inspiration-we-still-demand-the-rhet_1477267.jpg)

> “For inspiration, we still demand the rhetorical high notes. Clinton has hit them before, in her speech in Beijing as first lady when she said, 'Women's rights are human rights,' and in her 2008 concession speech, when she talked about the '18 million cracks' in the glass ceiling.”

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

## 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 references iconic speeches that used powerful rhetoric to advance women's rights, emphasizing the need for bold language.

**In simple terms:** Bold rhetoric advances social causes.

Key Takeaway

Use strong, clear language for advocacy.

Themes

activism women’s rights rhetoric

Mood

inspirational motivational

Type

political historical

When to use this quote

- protests
- policy debates
- media campaigns

Key Concepts

political science gender studies

Questions to Reflect On

- How can rhetoric be paired with concrete action?
- What makes a speech memorable?

A Different Perspective

Rhetoric alone may not change structures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Demand Rhetorical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand-rhetorical-5375656/) [First lady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-lady/) [Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glass/) [Glass ceiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glass-ceiling/) [High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Notes Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notes-clinton-5375655/) [Rhetorical High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhetorical-high-5375654/) [She](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/she/) [Speech Beijing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech-beijing-5375658/) [Speech Talked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech-talked-5375657/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Women'S Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-s-rights-2/)

## Related quotes

> [Analogies, in particular, can illuminate, but they can also obscure and confuse. They need to be handled carefully, like rhetorical high explosives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/analogies-in-particular-can-illuminate-but-they-can-also-obscure-and/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [Things that used to be a glass ceiling aren't anymore. Now not only is it a possibility that women are going to main event…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-phoenix/things-that-used-to-be-a-glass-ceiling-aren-t-anymore-now-not-only-is/)

[Beth Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-phoenix/)

> [Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/although-we-weren-t-able-to-shatter-that-highest-hardest-glass/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [Any time I broke through the 'glass ceiling' by accomplishing things that foreigners weren't apparently able to do, they've been huge personal victories and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-omega/any-time-i-broke-through-the-glass-ceiling-by-accomplishing-things/)

[Kenny Omega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-omega/)

> [“On Nov. 8, 2016, we felt a sense of devastation, powerlessness, and disappointment that we had never felt before. So we cried. And then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/on-nov-8-2016-we-felt-a-sense-of-devastation-powerlessness-and/)

[Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/)

> [The best advice I can give women at all levels is increase training. There are still areas where we have to break through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-solis/the-best-advice-i-can-give-women-at-all-levels-is-increase-training/)

[Hilda Solis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-solis/)

> [The glass ceiling doesn't apply when you're building your own house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-roizen/the-glass-ceiling-doesn-t-apply-when-you-re-building-your-own-house/)

[Heidi Roizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-roizen/)

> [I think we've broken a lot of barriers and kind of shattered our "glass ceiling" that was there for women. There are so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miesha-tate/i-think-we-ve-broken-a-lot-of-barriers-and-kind-of-shattered-our/)

[Miesha Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miesha-tate/)

> [The United Nations was the thing I wanted to work for. Like the United Nations Commission for Refugees is what I was interested in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gimlette/the-united-nations-was-the-thing-i-wanted-to-work-for-like-the-united/)

[John Gimlette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gimlette/)

> [That rock and roll, eh? That rock and roll, it just won't go away. It might hibernate from time to time, sink back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/that-rock-and-roll-eh-that-rock-and-roll-it-just-won-t-go-away-it/)

[Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/)

> [“There's no such thing as a glass ceiling for women. It's just a thick layer of men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-liswood/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-glass-ceiling-for-women-it-s-just-a-thick/)

[Laura Liswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-liswood/)

> [“In the words of Secretary Clinton, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance in the world to pursue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/in-the-words-of-secretary-clinton-never-doubt-that-you-are-valuable/)

[Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/)

> [I think, before Obama, there was a glass ceiling. That's a big change. As a president, I think he was the best. I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/i-think-before-obama-there-was-a-glass-ceiling-that-s-a-big-change-as/)

[Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/)

> [I never thought I was breaking a glass ceiling. I just had to do what I had to do, and it never occurred to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/i-never-thought-i-was-breaking-a-glass-ceiling-i-just-had-to-do-what/)

[Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/)

> [The message I like to convey to women and girls across the globe is that there is no glass ceiling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/the-message-i-like-to-convey-to-women-and-girls-across-the-globe-is/)

[Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/)

## More by Rebecca Traister

> [“..the expectations of Republican Motherhood – in which women’s obligations were the instilling of civic virtue in offspring and the moral maintenance of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/the-expectations-of-republican-motherhood-in-which-women-s/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [“Andrea Dworkin famously commented that “Marriage as an institution developed from rape as a practice.” In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/andrea-dworkin-famously-commented-that-marriage-as-an-institution/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [Changing professional expectations and technological tools have created an impossibility of balancing work and life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/changing-professional-expectations-and-technological-tools-have/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [I'd spent my whole adult life considering myself an independent entity, my life filled by work and friends and family. Suddenly I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/i-d-spent-my-whole-adult-life-considering-myself-an-independent/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [The lack of marriage is being blamed for almost every social ill - whether it's gun violence, whether it's poverty, whether it's the dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/the-lack-of-marriage-is-being-blamed-for-almost-every-social-ill/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [“Friedan also didn’t consider the population of American women who were already altering marriage patterns,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/friedan-also-didn-t-consider-the-population-of-american-women-who/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [After Emancipation, black women married earlier and more often because they were legally free to do so for the first time, and that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/after-emancipation-black-women-married-earlier-and-more-often-because/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [Throughout America's history, the start of adult life for women - whatever else it might have been destined to include - had been typically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/throughout-america-s-history-the-start-of-adult-life-for-women/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [“In his 1873 Sex in Education; or A Fair Chance for the Girls, Harvard professor Edward Clarke argued that the female brain, if engaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/in-his-1873-sex-in-education-or-a-fair-chance-for-the-girls-harvard/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [By the time Clinton graduated from Yale Law School, many people, including her boyfriend Bill, believed she could, and should, embark on a political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/by-the-time-clinton-graduated-from-yale-law-school-many-people/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [In 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 64 percent of mothers with children under six worked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/in-2013-according-to-the-bureau-of-labor-statistics-around-64-percent/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [Since the late 19th century, the median age of first marriage for women had fluctuated between 20 and 22. This had been the shape,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/since-the-late-19th-century-the-median-age-of-first-marriage-for/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [“we “are married, or have been, or plan to be, or suffer from not being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/we-are-married-or-have-been-or-plan-to-be-or-suffer-from-not-being/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [There is a kind of woman who is economically powerful, professionally powerful, who threatens a white male grip on power that has a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/there-is-a-kind-of-woman-who-is-economically-powerful-professionally/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

> [One of the favorite conservative themes is that the cure for poverty is more marriage and earlier marriage. We hear that all the time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/one-of-the-favorite-conservative-themes-is-that-the-cure-for-poverty/)

[Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

[Explore all 105 Rebecca Traister quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

[Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/)

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For inspiration, we still demand the rhetorical high notes. Clinton has hit them before, in her speech in Beijing as first lady when she said, 'Women's rights are human rights,' and in her 2008 concession speech, when she talked about the '18 million cracks' in the glass ceiling.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rebecca Traister"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/for-inspiration-we-still-demand-the-rhetorical-high-notes-clinton-has/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/for-inspiration-we-still-demand-the-rhetorical-high-notes-clinton-has/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b36/rebecca-traister-4925_communication_for-inspiration-we-still-demand-the-rhet_1477267.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b36/rebecca-traister-4925_communication_for-inspiration-we-still-demand-the-rhet_1477267.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b36/rebecca-traister-4925_communication_for-inspiration-we-still-demand-the-rhet_1477267.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For inspiration, we still demand the rhetorical high notes. Clinton has hit them before, in her speech in…” — Rebecca Traister",
                "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 Traister",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For inspiration, we still demand the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/for-inspiration-we-still-demand-the-rhetorical-high-notes-clinton-has/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/for-inspiration-we-still-demand-the-rhetorical-high-notes-clinton-has/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
