---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Speaking as somebody with three sisters…"
description: "\"Speaking as somebody with three sisters and a very largely female Muslim family, there is not a single woman I know in my family or in their friends wh..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/salman-rushdie-153_accepted_speaking-as-somebody-with-three-sisters_3071034.jpg"
---

#  Speaking as somebody with three sisters and a very largely…

![“Speaking as somebody with three sisters and a very largely female Muslim family, there is not a single woman I know in my family or in their friends who would have accepted the wearing of a veil.” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/salman-rushdie-153_accepted_speaking-as-somebody-with-three-sisters_3071034.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/salman-rushdie-153_accepted_speaking-as-somebody-with-three-sisters_3071034.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/salman-rushdie-153_accepted_speaking-as-somebody-with-three-sisters_3071034.jpg)

> “Speaking as somebody with three sisters and a very largely female Muslim family, there is not a single woman I know in my family or in their friends who would have accepted the wearing of a veil.”

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Even within close families, personal choices about dress can vary widely.

**In simple terms:** Family members may differ on cultural attire.

Key Takeaway

Respect individual choices in cultural practices.

Themes

identity family dynamics tradition

Mood

thoughtful empathetic

Type

cultural reflective

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- social events
- interfaith dialogues
- personal expression

Key Concepts

Cultural autonomy gender norms

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you navigate differing cultural expectations?
- What supports autonomy while honoring heritage?

A Different Perspective

Balancing respect for tradition with personal freedom can be contentious.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Muslim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslim/) [Muslim family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslim-family/) [Single woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-woman/) [Single women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-women/) [Three sisters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-sisters/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/)

## Related quotes

> [“The change can be measured in the increase in the proportion of women in Egypt wearing the veil, from less than 30 per cent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/the-change-can-be-measured-in-the-increase-in-the-proportion-of-women/)

[Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/)

> [“If the virgin Mary appears wearing a veil on all of her pictures, how can you ask me to sign on a Hijab ban…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-maroni-italian-minister/if-the-virgin-mary-appears-wearing-a-veil-on-all-of-her-pictures-how/)

Roberto Maroni Italian Minister

> [One of the things I've thought about 'Midnight's Children' is that it is a novel which puts a Muslim family at the centre of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/one-of-the-things-i-ve-thought-about-midnight-s-children-is-that-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [It is fascinating to me that when the lists of the great writers are trotted out year after year, you often find lists without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/it-is-fascinating-to-me-that-when-the-lists-of-the-great-writers-are/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [When I graduated from law school in 1959, there wasn't a single woman on any federal bench. It wouldn't be a realistic ambition for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/when-i-graduated-from-law-school-in-1959-there-wasn-t-a-single-woman/)

[Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/)

> [By definition, a hearing is an inquiry into many sides of an issue with testimony from various points of views. But mark this: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-huffman/by-definition-a-hearing-is-an-inquiry-into-many-sides-of-an-issue/)

[Felicity Huffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-huffman/)

> [In my age group I don't know a single woman who is as successful as I am. I am the total exception. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-nusslein-volhard/in-my-age-group-i-don-t-know-a-single-woman-who-is-as-successful-as-i/)

[Christiane Nusslein-Volhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-nusslein-volhard/)

> [I don't think we are the same, women and men. We're different. But I don't think we are less than men. There are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-hayek/i-don-t-think-we-are-the-same-women-and-men-we-re-different-but-i-don/)

[Salma Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-hayek/)

> [I'm not giving you any options here. We're doing this, Eva. Enjoy your last remaining hours as a single woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-day/i-m-not-giving-you-any-options-here-we-re-doing-this-eva-enjoy-your/)

[Sylvia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-day/)

> [I think a single woman's biggest problem is coping with the people who are trying to marry her off!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-gurley-brown/i-think-a-single-woman-s-biggest-problem-is-coping-with-the-people/)

[Helen Gurley Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-gurley-brown/)

> [At least as a single woman, I had time to pursue my own interests, read voraciously, and travel when opportunity presented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-alexander/at-least-as-a-single-woman-i-had-time-to-pursue-my-own-interests-read/)

[Tasha Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasha-alexander/)

> [“...it is poverty only which makes celibacy contemptible to a generous public! A single woman, with a very narrow income, must be a ridiculous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-poverty-only-which-makes-celibacy-contemptible-to-a-generous/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [I'm not really single. I mean I am, but i have a son. Being a single mother is different from being a single woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hudson/i-m-not-really-single-i-mean-i-am-but-i-have-a-son-being-a-single/)

[Kate Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-hudson/)

> [A single woman should only marry a man she can follow: Ladies if you are single, be very, very careful who you date and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/a-single-woman-should-only-marry-a-man-she-can-follow-ladies-if-you/)

[Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/)

> [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/)

[Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/)

## More by Salman Rushdie

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-little-bit-of-one-story-joins-onto-an-idea-from-another-and-hey/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

[Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## More Accepted quotes

> [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/)

[Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/)

> [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. Greatness is being accepted by the people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/greatness-is-not-guarding-yourself-from-people-greatness-is-being/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [The idea that this world is a playground instead of a battleground has now been accepted in practice by the vast majority of Christians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-idea-that-this-world-is-a-playground-instead-of-a-battleground/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/)

[Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/)

> [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/)

[Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/)

> [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There are a lot of movies about misfits that are quite cool, that kind of glamorize it on some level. I think there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/there-are-a-lot-of-movies-about-misfits-that-are-quite-cool-that-kind/)

[Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/)

> [In Quebec City many Muslims have said that they hide their faith because they know that if they don't, if they show that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-pratte/in-quebec-city-many-muslims-have-said-that-they-hide-their-faith/)

Andre Pratte

> [The rules and principles of case law have never been treated as final truths but as working hypotheses, continually retested in those great laboratories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/the-rules-and-principles-of-case-law-have-never-been-treated-as-final/)

[Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/)

> [ We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. \[This is\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shapiro/we-have-reached-a-situation-where-a-theory-has-been-accepted-as-fact/)

[Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shapiro/)

> [And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-if-all-others-accepted-the-lie-which-the-party-imposed-if-all/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [I was in a conversation and someone said: "You know, we were talking about the whole issue of transgender and how it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-was-in-a-conversation-and-someone-said-you-know-we-were-talking/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

> [Divorce is so common and accepted in America that beating myself up over it may sound ridiculous. But I was raised to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trisha-yearwood/divorce-is-so-common-and-accepted-in-america-that-beating-myself-up/)

[Trisha Yearwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trisha-yearwood/)

> [Handicaps can be converted into stepping stones on which one may climb toward some worthy goal, unless they are accepted as obstacles, and used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/handicaps-can-be-converted-into-stepping-stones-on-which-one-may/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

Browse all 2,128 Accepted quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Speaking as somebody with three sisters and a very largely female Muslim family, there is not a single woman I know in my family or in their friends who would have accepted the wearing of a veil.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Salman Rushdie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/speaking-as-somebody-with-three-sisters-and-a-very-largely-female/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accepted"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/speaking-as-somebody-with-three-sisters-and-a-very-largely-female/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/salman-rushdie-153_accepted_speaking-as-somebody-with-three-sisters_3071034.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/salman-rushdie-153_accepted_speaking-as-somebody-with-three-sisters_3071034.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/salman-rushdie-153_accepted_speaking-as-somebody-with-three-sisters_3071034.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Speaking as somebody with three sisters and a very largely female Muslim family, there is not a single woman…” — Salman Rushdie",
                "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": "Salman Rushdie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Speaking as somebody with three sisters...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/speaking-as-somebody-with-three-sisters-and-a-very-largely-female/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/speaking-as-somebody-with-three-sisters-and-a-very-largely-female/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
