--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Aggressive and hard-charging women…" description: "\"Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and power..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/sheryl-sandberg-439_accomplishment_aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-viola_33187.png" --- # Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules… ![“Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women who display these same traits often pay a social penalty. Female accomplishments come at a cost.” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/sheryl-sandberg-439_accomplishment_aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-viola_33187.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/sheryl-sandberg-439_accomplishment_aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-viola_33187.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/sheryl-sandberg-439_accomplishment_aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-viola_33187.png) > “Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women who display these same traits often pay a social penalty. Female accomplishments come at a cost.” [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal double standards penalize women for traits praised in men, imposing a social cost on female ambition and success. **In simple terms:** Gender bias in social expectations. Key Takeaway Women face a penalty for ambition. Themes gender inequality social norms double standards female ambition workplace bias Mood frustration determination critical Type analytical observational critical When to use this quote - career advancement - leadership roles - public speaking - negotiation - promotion Key Concepts social penalty gender expectations ambition success Practical Applications - leadership development - diversity training Questions to Reflect On - How can organizations mitigate the social penalty on ambitious women? - What cultural shifts are needed to normalize female ambition? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) [Aggressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggressive/) [Ambitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) [Charging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charging/) [Conduct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conduct/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Female Accomplishments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-accomplishments-432986/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Penalties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penalties/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Conduct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-conduct-432985/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Successful women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-women/) [Traits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traits/) [Women Violate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-violate-432987/) ## Related quotes > [Government should be concerned with anti-social conduct, not with utterances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-orville-douglas/government-should-be-concerned-with-anti-social-conduct-not-with/) [William Orville Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-orville-douglas/) > [I decry all domestic violence behavior; to condone violence against women would violate all standards of decency, run counter to my commitment to end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-adams/i-decry-all-domestic-violence-behavior-to-condone-violence-against/) [Eric Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-adams/) > [In all successful relationships, the man respects the woman - and it takes a special guy to handle a successful woman. 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You don't hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/feminists-don-t-honor-successful-women-you-never-hear-them-talking/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [“Have a spirit so beautiful that when people see you all they notice is your glow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/have-a-spirit-so-beautiful-that-when-people-see-you-all-they-notice/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [I bring quadruple diversity to the Senate: I'm a woman; I'll be the first Asian woman ever to be elected to the U.S. Senate;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazie-hirono/i-bring-quadruple-diversity-to-the-senate-i-m-a-woman-i-ll-be-the/) [Mazie Hirono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazie-hirono/) > [You are indebted to life until you help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/you-are-indebted-to-life-until-you-help-some-less-fortunate-person/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Successful women sleeps just for 4 hours. Successful f@gs deserve 30 minutes extra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jody-bon/successful-women-sleeps-just-for-4-hours-successful-f-gs-deserve-30/) [Jody Bon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jody-bon/) > [I'm very much for helping create women who are going to be successful women. I don't like women who imitate men, who want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-dally-watkins/i-m-very-much-for-helping-create-women-who-are-going-to-be-successful/) [June Dally-Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-dally-watkins/) > [People like Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut are really paving the way for successful women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalki-koechlin/people-like-priyanka-chopra-and-kangana-ranaut-are-really-paving-the/) [Kalki Koechlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalki-koechlin/) > [A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/a-woman-with-a-voice-is-by-definition-a-strong-woman-but-the-search/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) ## More by Sheryl Sandberg > [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next-30/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ “\[Eric Schmidt\] explained that only one criterion that mattered when picking a job- fat growth. 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Instead, true leadership stems from individuality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/presenting-leadership-as-a-list-of-carefully-defined-qualities-like/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [So there's no such thing as work-life balance. There's work, and there's life, and there's no balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/so-there-s-no-such-thing-as-work-life-balance-there-s-work-and-there/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Men can comfortably claim credit for what they do as long as they don't veer into arrogance. For women, taking credit comes at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/men-can-comfortably-claim-credit-for-what-they-do-as-long-as-they-don/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“As Helen Keller put it, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/as-helen-keller-put-it-when-one-door-of-happiness-closes-another/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Forty percent of employed mothers lack sick days and vacation leave, and about 50 percent of employed mothers are unable to take time off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/forty-percent-of-employed-mothers-lack-sick-days-and-vacation-leave/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ We \[Facebook\] really believe in enabling people to be their authentic selves on the web, and enabling people to communicate directly with each other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-facebook-really-believe-in-enabling-people-to-be-their-authentic/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) [Explore all 557 Sheryl Sandberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## More Accomplishment quotes > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? 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The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [Humility is an elusive virtue. The more we pursue it - and the more we seem to acquire it - the more we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-aquilina/humility-is-an-elusive-virtue-the-more-we-pursue-it-and-the-more-we/) [Mike Aquilina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-aquilina/) > [I'm not always right, but I learn from my mistakes and make it a productive experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-kolhoff/i-m-not-always-right-but-i-learn-from-my-mistakes-and-make-it-a/) [Carson Kolhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-kolhoff/) > [Suffering in life can uncover untold depths of character and unknown strength for service. 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