--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I only know that people call me a…" description: "\"I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.\" — Rebecca West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-femini_2936005.jpg" --- # I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I… ![“I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-femini_2936005.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-femini_2936005.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-femini_2936005.jpg) > “I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.” [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker highlights how labeling her a feminist is used to dismiss or shame her when she asserts boundaries or self-respect. **In simple terms:** People call her feminist to belittle her assertiveness. Key Takeaway Recognize and own your self‑respect despite labels. Themes gender identity power dynamics social labeling Mood defiant assertive reflective Type critical political social commentary When to use this quote - workplace negotiations - personal relationships - public speaking - activism - online discourse Key Concepts feminism self‑assertion stereotypes Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond when a label is used to undermine you? - What alternative language could empower rather than label? A Different Perspective Labels can oversimplify complex identities and silence nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doormat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doormat/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/) [Feminist Express](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist-express-4353237/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-feminist-4335018/) [Sentiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiments/) [Sentiments Differentiate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiments-differentiate-4353238/) ## Related quotes > [“People call me a feminist whenever I express statements that distinguish me from a doormat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-express-statements-that/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-myself-have-never-been-able-to-find-out-precisely-what-feminism-is-2/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-express-sentiments-that/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-myself-have-never-been-able-to-find-out-precisely-what-feminism-is/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, She doesn't have what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/because-i-am-a-woman-i-must-make-unusual-efforts-to-succeed-if-i-fail-2/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [I remember getting to college and all of a sudden realizing that feminism was a dirty word to a lot of people and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quiara-alegria-hudes/i-remember-getting-to-college-and-all-of-a-sudden-realizing-that/) [Quiara Alegria Hudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quiara-alegria-hudes/) > [There can be people who are feminist, and people who hold the completely opposite view but are still feminists. It seems to me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-strauss/there-can-be-people-who-are-feminist-and-people-who-hold-the/) [Neil Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-strauss/) > [ The \[Carter\] administration doesn't know the difference between a diplomat and a doormat. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-carter-administration-doesn-t-know-the-difference-between-a/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Women are not a doormat. We are equivalent to men. It is just that we have different bodies and different biological needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalki-koechlin/women-are-not-a-doormat-we-are-equivalent-to-men-it-is-just-that-we/) [Kalki Koechlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalki-koechlin/) > [“I think we each have a certain number of unnecessary apologies, which we willingly dish out before we realize it's time to stand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-rachelle/i-think-we-each-have-a-certain-number-of-unnecessary-apologies-which/) [Joyce Rachelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-rachelle/) > [There's no such thing as intelligent vanity. It's an instinct. And you'll never find a man who is not first and foremost vain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/there-s-no-such-thing-as-intelligent-vanity-it-s-an-instinct-and-you/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [The Heartbreak Kid is a doormat for absolutely nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/the-heartbreak-kid-is-a-doormat-for-absolutely-nobody/) [Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/) > [I refuse to be a doormat to any man. I will never allow anyone to push me around. I am my own mistress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manisha-koirala/i-refuse-to-be-a-doormat-to-any-man-i-will-never-allow-anyone-to-push/) [Manisha Koirala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manisha-koirala/) > [Once you have a major success with assertiveness, you learn that it's a much healthier path than being a doormat to the insensitive folks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/once-you-have-a-major-success-with-assertiveness-you-learn-that-it-s/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [You can't be a doormat if you don't lie down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-be-a-doormat-if-you-don-t-lie-down/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Rebecca West > [I see the main problem of my life, and indeed anybody's life, as the balancing of competitive freedoms ... a sense of mutual obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-see-the-main-problem-of-my-life-and-indeed-anybody-s-life-as-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“There is, of course, no reason for the existence of the male sex except that sometimes one needs help with moving the piano.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-of-course-no-reason-for-the-existence-of-the-male-sex-except/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“At the top of a hill our automobile stuck in a snowdrift. Peasants ran out of a cottage near by, shouting with laughter because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/at-the-top-of-a-hill-our-automobile-stuck-in-a-snowdrift-peasants-ran/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [We all drew on the comfort which is given out by the major works of Mozart, which is as real and material as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/we-all-drew-on-the-comfort-which-is-given-out-by-the-major-works-of/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Christianity must be regarded not as a final revelation but as a phase of revelation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/christianity-must-be-regarded-not-as-a-final-revelation-but-as-a/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Art and propaganda have this much connection, that if a propaganda makes art impossible, it is clearly damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/art-and-propaganda-have-this-much-connection-that-if-a-propaganda/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The American struggle for the vote was much more difficult than the English for the simple reason that it was much more easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-american-struggle-for-the-vote-was-much-more-difficult-than-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ Like all bad drivers, he \[Henry Andrews\] thought he was the best driver in the world... ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/like-all-bad-drivers-he-henry-andrews-thought-he-was-the-best-driver/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The childhood of the individual and the race is full of fears, and panic-stricken attempts to avert what is feared by placating the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-childhood-of-the-individual-and-the-race-is-full-of-fears-and/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Humanity is never more sphinxlike than when it is expressing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/humanity-is-never-more-sphinxlike-than-when-it-is-expressing-itself/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [a good oyster cannot please the palate as acutely as a bad one can revolt it, and a good oyster cannot make him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-good-oyster-cannot-please-the-palate-as-acutely-as-a-bad-one-can/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [If there is a God, I don't think He would demand that anyone bow down or stand up to Him. I often have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/if-there-is-a-god-i-don-t-think-he-would-demand-that-anyone-bow-down/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/any-authentic-work-of-art-must-start-an-argument-between-the-artist/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [... there has never been a period in history when there have been necessary killings which has not been instantly followed by a period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-has-never-been-a-period-in-history-when-there-have-been/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) [Explore all 264 Rebecca West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## More Doormat quotes > [You can't be a doormat if you don't lie down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-be-a-doormat-if-you-don-t-lie-down/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Once you have a major success with assertiveness, you learn that it's a much healthier path than being a doormat to the insensitive folks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/once-you-have-a-major-success-with-assertiveness-you-learn-that-it-s/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [I refuse to be a doormat to any man. I will never allow anyone to push me around. I am my own mistress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manisha-koirala/i-refuse-to-be-a-doormat-to-any-man-i-will-never-allow-anyone-to-push/) [Manisha Koirala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manisha-koirala/) > [The Heartbreak Kid is a doormat for absolutely nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/the-heartbreak-kid-is-a-doormat-for-absolutely-nobody/) [Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/) > [There's no such thing as intelligent vanity. It's an instinct. And you'll never find a man who is not first and foremost vain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/there-s-no-such-thing-as-intelligent-vanity-it-s-an-instinct-and-you/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [“I think we each have a certain number of unnecessary apologies, which we willingly dish out before we realize it's time to stand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-rachelle/i-think-we-each-have-a-certain-number-of-unnecessary-apologies-which/) [Joyce Rachelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-rachelle/) > [Women are not a doormat. We are equivalent to men. It is just that we have different bodies and different biological needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalki-koechlin/women-are-not-a-doormat-we-are-equivalent-to-men-it-is-just-that-we/) [Kalki Koechlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalki-koechlin/) > [ The \[Carter\] administration doesn't know the difference between a diplomat and a doormat. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-carter-administration-doesn-t-know-the-difference-between-a/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [They are so filthy and bestial that no honest man would admit one into his house for a water-closet doormat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/they-are-so-filthy-and-bestial-that-no-honest-man-would-admit-one/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I'm not just a doormat. I'm not just being stepped on all over the place. If you look at the bulk of my material,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucinda-williams/i-m-not-just-a-doormat-i-m-not-just-being-stepped-on-all-over-the/) [Lucinda Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucinda-williams/) > [American married life is the doormat to the whorehouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/american-married-life-is-the-doormat-to-the-whorehouse/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [God is not a doormat, nor should anyone else be a doormat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/god-is-not-a-doormat-nor-should-anyone-else-be-a-doormat/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Truth is as straight as an arrow, while a lie swivels all over the place. You can hide Truth under a doormat, but eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/truth-is-as-straight-as-an-arrow-while-a-lie-swivels-all-over-the/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [I'm a bit of a tomboy, but when it comes to love I am a doormat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabetta-canalis/i-m-a-bit-of-a-tomboy-but-when-it-comes-to-love-i-am-a-doormat/) [Elisabetta Canalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabetta-canalis/) > [I'd rather be a door than a doormat...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-peterson/i-d-rather-be-a-door-than-a-doormat/) [Elizabeth Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-peterson/) [Browse all 63 Doormat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doormat/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-express/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doormat" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-express/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-femini_2936005.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-femini_2936005.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-femini_2936005.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a…” — Rebecca West", "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 West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I only know that people call...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-express/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-express/#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 } } ] } ```