---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need to stop telling girls they can be…"
description: "\"We need to stop telling girls they can be anything they want when they grow up. Because it would have never occurred to them that they couldn't.\" — Sar..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/sarah-silverman-1212_feminist_we-need-to-stop-telling-girls-they-can-b_1185968.png"
---

#  We need to stop telling girls they can be anything they…

![“We need to stop telling girls they can be anything they want when they grow up. Because it would have never occurred to them that they couldn't.” quote by Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/sarah-silverman-1212_feminist_we-need-to-stop-telling-girls-they-can-b_1185968.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/sarah-silverman-1212_feminist_we-need-to-stop-telling-girls-they-can-b_1185968.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/sarah-silverman-1212_feminist_we-need-to-stop-telling-girls-they-can-b_1185968.png)

> “We need to stop telling girls they can be anything they want when they grow up. Because it would have never occurred to them that they couldn't.”

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

## About This Quote

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

Telling girls they can be anything may set unrealistic expectations, ignoring societal constraints that limit possibilities.

**In simple terms:** Unlimited possibilities can be misleading.

Key Takeaway

Encourage realistic aspirations with support.

Themes

gender expectations aspirations realism

Mood

concerned hopeful

Type

social motivational

When to use this quote

- education
- career counseling
- ment mentorship

Key Concepts

social conditioning empowerment

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we inspire without creating false hopes?
- What structures limit opportunities for girls?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girls/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/)

## Related quotes

> [When our world is telling girls and women who they should be or what they should look like, it is critical that we empower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-knight/when-our-world-is-telling-girls-and-women-who-they-should-be-or-what/)

[Hilary Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-knight/)

> [If you keep telling girls they're less good at science, that will probably be self-fulfilling. But there are quite a lot of women who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-randall/if-you-keep-telling-girls-they-re-less-good-at-science-that-will/)

[Lisa Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-randall/)

> [I don't believe in telling girls to mess with their bodies. Be healthy, be happy, be a decent person, enjoy yourself - that's more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-willis/i-don-t-believe-in-telling-girls-to-mess-with-their-bodies-be-healthy/)

[Emma Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-willis/)

> [We should be telling girls what they already know but rarely see affirmed: that the lives they lead inside their own self-contained bodies; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/we-should-be-telling-girls-what-they-already-know-but-rarely-see/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [I know you want him, t's so obvious and it really shows, But you can't have hiim, I'm just telling you to go get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel/i-know-you-want-him-t-s-so-obvious-and-it-really-shows-but-you-can-t/)

[Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel/)

> [Sometimes you have to stop telling folks about themselves and leave it up to them to figure out where they went wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-lobbins/sometimes-you-have-to-stop-telling-folks-about-themselves-and-leave/)

[Danielle Lobbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-lobbins/)

> [We lose the magic whenever we stop telling our story and begin to wonder how we're doing, if we're selling it, if the listener…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/we-lose-the-magic-whenever-we-stop-telling-our-story-and-begin-to/)

[Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/)

> [Stop telling it like it is and start telling it like you WANT it to be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/stop-telling-it-like-it-is-and-start-telling-it-like-you-want-it-to-be/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [Don't tell girls they can be anything they want when they grow up. Because it would have never occurred to them that they couldn't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/don-t-tell-girls-they-can-be-anything-they-want-when-they-grow-up/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [All girls want is for somebody to want them back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-girls-want-is-for-somebody-to-want-them-back/)

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

> [Girls want Attention Women want Respect Men want Both Not attention and respect Both Girls & Women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melania/girls-want-attention-women-want-respect-men-want-both-not-attention/)

[Melania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melania/)

> [To many girls want attention! NOT enough wants Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-siddiq-prince/to-many-girls-want-attention-not-enough-wants-respect/)

[Young Siddiq Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-siddiq-prince/)

> [These girls want nothing to do with last season's clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisi-harrison/these-girls-want-nothing-to-do-with-last-season-s-clothes/)

[Lisi Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisi-harrison/)

> [It's just hard to say, "Well, I do this, which means this." If I'm telling you exactly who I am, then there's nothing for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/it-s-just-hard-to-say-well-i-do-this-which-means-this-if-i-m-telling/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

## More by Sarah Silverman

> [When I was 17, I read a profile of Carol Leifer. Since then, I wanted to be her. I still want to be her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/when-i-was-17-i-read-a-profile-of-carol-leifer-since-then-i-wanted-to/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [My growing up years, we watched 'Happy Days,' every night. I don't know what was reruns and what was new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/my-growing-up-years-we-watched-happy-days-every-night-i-don-t-know/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [People can't help what topics cut them deep. It all depends on who's inferring - and what the contexts of their lives are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/people-can-t-help-what-topics-cut-them-deep-it-all-depends-on-who-s/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [In your twenties, I think you should have all of the sex that you're inclined to have, as long as you're safe about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/in-your-twenties-i-think-you-should-have-all-of-the-sex-that-you-re/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [I was a bedwetter until I was about 15, and it was humiliating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/i-was-a-bedwetter-until-i-was-about-15-and-it-was-humiliating/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [Someone on Twitter sent me a page from a textbook. It had a picture of a football player next to a picture of me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/someone-on-twitter-sent-me-a-page-from-a-textbook-it-had-a-picture-of/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [It fills me with a weird rage to wear shoes that make me not able to walk easily or run if I had to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/it-fills-me-with-a-weird-rage-to-wear-shoes-that-make-me-not-able-to/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [If you are truly offended by an 80-year-old man saying you're not funny, then you're probably not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/if-you-are-truly-offended-by-an-80-year-old-man-saying-you-re-not/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [Summer camp: the second worst camp for Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/summer-camp-the-second-worst-camp-for-jews/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [“If you’ve ever heard that song by Beyoncé, “Single Ladies,” I am one of the people she’s singing about. I have to be, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/if-you-ve-ever-heard-that-song-by-beyonc-single-ladies-i-am-one-of/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [If I were somebody else looking at my character, I'd be like, "She's beautiful." I'm practicing. I'm not succeeding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/if-i-were-somebody-else-looking-at-my-character-i-d-be-like-she-s/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [I say 'I'm sorry.' It usually disarms them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/i-say-i-m-sorry-it-usually-disarms-them/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [“People who call themselves divas...you are not a diva. I'm pretty sure you're a cunt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/people-who-call-themselves-divas-you-are-not-a-diva-i-m-pretty-sure/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [ \[I'm\] almost positive there is no God. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/i-m-almost-positive-there-is-no-god/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [It's just hard to say, "Well, I do this, which means this." If I'm telling you exactly who I am, then there's nothing for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/it-s-just-hard-to-say-well-i-do-this-which-means-this-if-i-m-telling/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

[Explore all 273 Sarah Silverman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

## More Feminist quotes

> [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [Women have seen that they have locked themselves up with feminist writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathalie-sarraute/women-have-seen-that-they-have-locked-themselves-up-with-feminist/)

[Nathalie Sarraute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathalie-sarraute/)

> [Black women's intersectional experiences of racism and sexism have been a central but forgotten dynamic in the unfolding of feminist and antiracist agendas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/black-women-s-intersectional-experiences-of-racism-and-sexism-have/)

[Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/)

> [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/)

[Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/)

> [Social media is not just another way to connect feminist and activist voices - it amplifies our messages as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-media-is-not-just-another-way-to-connect-feminist-and-activist/)

[Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/)

> [I hated grunge. No one’s more feminist than me, but you don’t have to look as if you don’t give a - you know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-hated-grunge-no-one-s-more-feminist-than-me-but-you-don-t-have-to/)

[Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/)

> [“Because human beings lived then in a world in which physical strength was the most important attribute for survival; the physically stronger person was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/because-human-beings-lived-then-in-a-world-in-which-physical-strength/)

[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/)

> [The world - and America - has been defined by people who haven't necessarily abided by the laws and the rules. Civil disobedience is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-kennedy/the-world-and-america-has-been-defined-by-people-who-haven-t/)

[Rory Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-kennedy/)

> [“She prayed for that all through the night, uncertain to Whom or what, but with a feeling that almost resembled faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/she-prayed-for-that-all-through-the-night-uncertain-to-whom-or-what/)

[Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/)

> [“The representation of women in the society, especially through mass media has been the most delusional act ever done on the grounds of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-representation-of-women-in-the-society-especially-through-mass/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“If we start preemptively cutting out parts of who we are because they’re ‘not feminist enough’, then we’ve failed before we’ve begun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-n-lester/if-we-start-preemptively-cutting-out-parts-of-who-we-are-because-they/)

[C. N. Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-n-lester/)

> [The little rift between the sexes is astonishingly widened by simply teaching one set of catchwords to the girls and another to the boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-little-rift-between-the-sexes-is-astonishingly-widened-by-simply/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [“No, no, my good knight, do not fear for me. The fire is mine. I am Daenerys Stormborn, daughter of dragons, bride of dragons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/no-no-my-good-knight-do-not-fear-for-me-the-fire-is-mine-i-am/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [“The Vatican won't prosecute pedophile priests but I decide I'm not ready for motherhood and it's condemnation for me? These are the same people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-renee-taylor/the-vatican-won-t-prosecute-pedophile-priests-but-i-decide-i-m-not/)

Sonya Renee Taylor

[Browse all 2,025 Feminist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We need to stop telling girls they can be anything they want when they grow up. Because it would have never occurred to them that they couldn't.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Silverman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/we-need-to-stop-telling-girls-they-can-be-anything-they-want-when/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feminist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/we-need-to-stop-telling-girls-they-can-be-anything-they-want-when/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/sarah-silverman-1212_feminist_we-need-to-stop-telling-girls-they-can-b_1185968.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/sarah-silverman-1212_feminist_we-need-to-stop-telling-girls-they-can-b_1185968.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/sarah-silverman-1212_feminist_we-need-to-stop-telling-girls-they-can-b_1185968.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We need to stop telling girls they can be anything they want when they grow up. Because it would have never…” — Sarah Silverman",
                "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": "Sarah Silverman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We need to stop telling girls...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/we-need-to-stop-telling-girls-they-can-be-anything-they-want-when/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/we-need-to-stop-telling-girls-they-can-be-anything-they-want-when/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```