--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People call me a feminist whenever I…" description: "\"“People call me a feminist whenever I express statements that distinguish me from a doormat.”\" — Rebecca West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-exp_2259301.jpg" --- # People call me a feminist whenever I express statements… ![“People call me a feminist whenever I express statements that distinguish me from a doormat.” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-exp_2259301.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-exp_2259301.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-exp_2259301.jpg) > ““People call me a feminist whenever I express statements that distinguish me from a doormat.”” [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 identifies being labeled a feminist when asserting independence, highlighting how societal expectations equate feminism with defiance of passivity. **In simple terms:** Being called a feminist when standing up for oneself. Key Takeaway Own your voice despite labels. Themes feminism identity assertion stereotype Mood defiant empowered Type political personal When to use this quote - activism - public speaking - personal boundaries Key Concepts gender studies social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond to being labeled? - What does feminism mean to you personally? A Different Perspective Balancing personal identity with external labeling;navigating stereotypes in advocacy ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distinguish Doormat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguish-doormat-5192357/) [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/) [Feministic-discrimination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feministic-discrimination-63138/) [Gender inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-inequality/) [Gender roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-roles/) [Gender stereotypes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-stereotypes/) [People Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-feminist-4335018/) [Womens-liberation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/womens-liberation-208300/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [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 only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-only-know-that-people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-express/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“Responsible parenting is NOT a crime. Responsible parenting is most valuable tool of our society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-karabegovic/responsible-parenting-is-not-a-crime-responsible-parenting-is-most/) [Mick Karabegovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-karabegovic/) > [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'm beautiful, yeah, but that's not what's going to shake your world. My refusal to live in an echo chamber all my life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/i-m-beautiful-yeah-but-that-s-not-what-s-going-to-shake-your-world-my/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“A man who is not as evolved as the woman he is with will hold her back, drain her spirit, and prevent the film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maxwell-taylor/a-man-who-is-not-as-evolved-as-the-woman-he-is-with-will-hold-her/) [John Maxwell Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maxwell-taylor/) > [“Your indignant behavior over the slightest perceived gender inequality makes it almost certain that inequality is what you masturbate to at night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-thomas/your-indignant-behavior-over-the-slightest-perceived-gender/) [Kitty Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-thomas/) > [I realize that 'hire qualified women!' is the sort of outraged demand that's often met with a sigh. No one disagrees, and yet gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/i-realize-that-hire-qualified-women-is-the-sort-of-outraged-demand/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [“I have been looking at the marriage service in the Prayer-book, and it seems to me very humiliating that a giver-away should be required…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-have-been-looking-at-the-marriage-service-in-the-prayer-book-and-it/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [We want to end gender inequality, and to do this, we need everyone involved...We want to try to galvanize as many men and boys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/we-want-to-end-gender-inequality-and-to-do-this-we-need-everyone/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [Yeah, maybe that's the way to solve the gender inequality that's naturally in relationships: to have a lot more power in the woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-song/yeah-maybe-that-s-the-way-to-solve-the-gender-inequality-that-s/) [Celine Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-song/) ## 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": "“People call me a feminist whenever I express statements that distinguish me from a doormat.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-express-statements-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doormat" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-express-statements-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-exp_2259301.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-exp_2259301.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/392/rebecca-west-1248_doormat_people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-exp_2259301.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People call me a feminist whenever I express statements that distinguish me from a doormat.” — 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": "“People call me a feminist whenever...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-express-statements-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/people-call-me-a-feminist-whenever-i-express-statements-that/#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 } } ] } ```