--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My goal is very clear, and I wrote about…" description: "\"My goal is very clear, and I wrote about it in Lean In, which is that women run half our companies and countries and men run half our homes. As much as..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/sheryl-sandberg-439_aspiration_my-goal-is-very-clear-and-i-wrote-about_2130612.png" --- # My goal is very clear, and I wrote about it in Lean In… ![“My goal is very clear, and I wrote about it in Lean In, which is that women run half our companies and countries and men run half our homes. As much as I wish that could happen in four years, I don't think that's a likely time period. But I think it can happen sooner than we think. Part of it is…” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/sheryl-sandberg-439_aspiration_my-goal-is-very-clear-and-i-wrote-about_2130612.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/sheryl-sandberg-439_aspiration_my-goal-is-very-clear-and-i-wrote-about_2130612.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/sheryl-sandberg-439_aspiration_my-goal-is-very-clear-and-i-wrote-about_2130612.png) > “My goal is very clear, and I wrote about it in Lean In, which is that women run half our companies and countries and men run half our homes. As much as I wish that could happen in four years, I don't think that's a likely time period. But I think it can happen sooner than we think. Part of it is having that aspiration and that goal. I think we too often suffer from the tyranny of low expectations.” [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. Advocates for gender parity in leadership, urging faster progress than typical timelines suggest. **In simple terms:** Women should lead more companies and countries, men more homes, sooner than expected. Key Takeaway Push for gender parity now. Themes gender equality leadership expectations aspiration Mood determined optimistic Type motivational policy When to use this quote - Corporate boardrooms - government cabinets - household decision‑making Key Concepts feminism social change organizational behavior Questions to Reflect On - What concrete steps can accelerate gender parity? - How can we challenge low expectations? A Different Perspective Progress may be slower due to entrenched biases and structural barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiration/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Low expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/low-expectations/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [My hope in writing 'Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead' was to change the conversation from what women can't do to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/my-hope-in-writing-lean-in-women-work-and-the-will-to-lead-was-to/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Having an aspiration goal, a point of view, and a design philosophy means you have a mechanism for filtering ideas—a principle to build a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/golden-krishna/having-an-aspiration-goal-a-point-of-view-and-a-design-philosophy/) Golden Krishna > [Directing my own writing, I see that I talk way too much, and everything can happen much sooner, with much less said about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/directing-my-own-writing-i-see-that-i-talk-way-too-much-and/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [It will be difficult to let go but it is going to happen sooner rather than later in my case.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-cunningham/it-will-be-difficult-to-let-go-but-it-is-going-to-happen-sooner/) [Kenny Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-cunningham/) > [ Yeah, we're working on \[Blade Runner 2\] right now - that will happen sooner or later. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/yeah-we-re-working-on-blade-runner-2-right-now-that-will-happen/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [After all, that was a main purpose of science: to make things of all kinds happen sooner than they otherwise would.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-science-to-make-things-of-all/) [Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/) > [Well, I'm not saying that America is a bad place or anything. I just think 9/11 needed to happen sooner or later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/well-i-m-not-saying-that-america-is-a-bad-place-or-anything-i-just/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [“It’ll happen sooner than you think. Today was as much blowback as you’re gonna get, I bet.” “Great, then you can expect amazing GIFs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jilly-gagnon/it-ll-happen-sooner-than-you-think-today-was-as-much-blowback-as-you/) [Jilly Gagnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jilly-gagnon/) > [I think I'm likely to be certified before Perl is...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/i-think-i-m-likely-to-be-certified-before-perl-is/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [I think that it's more likely that in my 60s and 70s I will be writing poetry rather than fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/i-think-that-it-s-more-likely-that-in-my-60s-and-70s-i-will-be/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [When I go to the line I'm thinking 'All net.' When I don't think that, I'm likely to miss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-bird/when-i-go-to-the-line-i-m-thinking-all-net-when-i-don-t-think-that-i/) [Larry Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-bird/) > [“You have had a dream for so many years. Let today be the day you make a plan for it. Just think about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/you-have-had-a-dream-for-so-many-years-let-today-be-the-day-you-make/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [When we say we are certain so-and-so can't possibly have done it, what we mean is that we think he very likely did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-pearsall-smith/when-we-say-we-are-certain-so-and-so-can-t-possibly-have-done-it-what/) [Logan Pearsall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-pearsall-smith/) > [I think it likely that some of my pupils will reach unusual distinction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-pyle/i-think-it-likely-that-some-of-my-pupils-will-reach-unusual/) [Howard Pyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-pyle/) > [And I think it's likely that there will be Data's out there one day. I hope so, if there are, that they all look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-spiner/and-i-think-it-s-likely-that-there-will-be-data-s-out-there-one-day-i/) [Brent Spiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-spiner/) ## 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. When companies grow quickly, there are more things to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/eric-schmidt-explained-that-only-one-criterion-that-mattered-when/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [When I went to college, as much as my parents emphasized academic achievement, they emphasized marriage even more. They told me that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-went-to-college-as-much-as-my-parents-emphasized-academic/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Go to a playground: Little girls get called 'bossy' all the time, a word that's almost never used for boys. And that leads directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/go-to-a-playground-little-girls-get-called-bossy-all-the-time-a-word/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“One of my favorite quotes comes from author Alice Walker, who observed, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/one-of-my-favorite-quotes-comes-from-author-alice-walker-who-observed/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“When I wrote Lean In, some people argued that I did not spend enough time writing about the difficulties women face when they don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-wrote-lean-in-some-people-argued-that-i-did-not-spend-enough/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Survivor guilt is a thief of joy—yet another secondary loss from death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/survivor-guilt-is-a-thief-of-joy-yet-another-secondary-loss-from-death/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I am a bigger-picture manager because I've lived through something that's a big picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-am-a-bigger-picture-manager-because-i-ve-lived-through-something/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical, and performance-ori ented) no longer holds. 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/) [Explore all 557 Sheryl Sandberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## More Aspiration quotes > [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-were-all-children-once-and-we-all-share-the-desire-for-the-well/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Noise has taken the place of punk rock. People who play noise have no real aspirations to being part of the mainstream culture. Punk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-moore/noise-has-taken-the-place-of-punk-rock-people-who-play-noise-have-no/) [Thurston Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-moore/) > [“A responsible woman doesn’t see opportunities and needs and look the other way pretending not to see them rather she gets to work to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agu-jaachynma-n-e/a-responsible-woman-doesn-t-see-opportunities-and-needs-and-look-the/) [Agu Jaachynma N.E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agu-jaachynma-n-e/) > [Our task today is to bring India to the threshold of the twenty-first century, free of burden of poverty, legacy of our colonial past,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajiv-gandhi/our-task-today-is-to-bring-india-to-the-threshold-of-the-twenty-first/) [Rajiv Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajiv-gandhi/) > [I know well, Monsieur, how much you have to endure in your present duty, and I ask Our Lord to strengthen you in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-know-well-monsieur-how-much-you-have-to-endure-in-your-present-duty/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [“Don't die without fulfilling your purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/don-t-die-without-fulfilling-your-purpose/) [Jaachynma N.E. 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Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [The most important part of our lives-our sensations, emotions, desires, and aspirations-takes place in a universe of illusions which science can attenuate or destroy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/the-most-important-part-of-our-lives-our-sensations-emotions-desires/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) [Browse all 1,137 Aspiration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My goal is very clear, and I wrote about it in Lean In, which is that women run half our companies and countries and men run half our homes. As much as I wish that could happen in four years, I don't think that's a likely time period. But I think it can happen sooner than we think. Part of it is having that aspiration and that goal. 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