--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Social gains are never handed out. They…" description: "\"Social gains are never handed out. They must be seized.\" — Sheryl Sandberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe2/sheryl-sandberg-439_gains_social-gains-are-never-handed-out-they-m_86024.png" --- # Social gains are never handed out. They must be seized. ![“Social gains are never handed out. They must be seized.” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe2/sheryl-sandberg-439_gains_social-gains-are-never-handed-out-they-m_86024.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe2/sheryl-sandberg-439_gains_social-gains-are-never-handed-out-they-m_86024.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe2/sheryl-sandberg-439_gains_social-gains-are-never-handed-out-they-m_86024.png) > “Social gains are never handed out. They must be seized.” [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. Progress requires proactive effort; benefits aren't given automatically but must be actively pursued. **In simple terms:** Active pursuit needed for progress Key Takeaway Seize opportunities Themes agency empowerment social dynamics initiative inequality Mood determined motivated assertive Type motivational political leadership When to use this quote - career advancement - community organizing - political activism - entrepreneurship - social reform Key Concepts social capital resource allocation personal agency Practical Applications - leadership development - policy advocacy Questions to Reflect On - What barriers prevent people from seizing social gains? - How can institutions encourage proactive engagement? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) [Gains Handed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains-handed-1082313/) [Handed Seized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handed-seized-1082312/) [Seized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seized/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-gains-769460/) [Women 's rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-s-rights/) ## Related quotes > [If workers struggle for higher wages, this is hailed as "social gains", if businessmen struggle for higher profits, this is damned as "selfish greed".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/if-workers-struggle-for-higher-wages-this-is-hailed-as-social-gains/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Throughout American history many of our social gains and much of our progress toward democracy were made possible by the active intervention of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-washington/throughout-american-history-many-of-our-social-gains-and-much-of-our/) [Harold Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-washington/) > [“Some people think they can find satisfaction in good food, fine clothes, lively music, and sexual pleasure. However, when they have all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liezi/some-people-think-they-can-find-satisfaction-in-good-food-fine/) [Liezi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liezi/) > [If women don't participate in tech, with its massive prominence in our lives and society, we risk losing many of the economic, political, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wojcicki/if-women-don-t-participate-in-tech-with-its-massive-prominence-in-our/) [Susan Wojcicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wojcicki/) > [In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/in-the-future-there-will-be-no-female-leaders-there-will-just-be/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I was in Shanghai when the Japanese invaded China. I was there in Shanghai when, the morning after Pearl Harbor, they seized Shanghai.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-was-in-shanghai-when-the-japanese-invaded-china-i-was-there-in/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [Since entering the new century, China and Africa have seized the historic opportunities presented by the deepening of globalization, worked together and helped each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-keqiang/since-entering-the-new-century-china-and-africa-have-seized-the/) [Li Keqiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-keqiang/) > [I logged into my bank accounts, and they were all seized, all frozen. So that was a pretty clear indication that I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-bloom/i-logged-into-my-bank-accounts-and-they-were-all-seized-all-frozen-so/) [Molly Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-bloom/) > [“A wandering knight wambling in an endless road Thinking to himself Where the others are? Taking care of what? Who am I? but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rixa-white/a-wandering-knight-wambling-in-an-endless-road-thinking-to-himself/) [Rixa White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rixa-white/) > [They have seized upon the government by bribery and corruption. They have made speculation and public robbery a science. They have loaded the nation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-kearney/they-have-seized-upon-the-government-by-bribery-and-corruption-they/) [Denis Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-kearney/) > [I have been seized by the power of a great affection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/i-have-been-seized-by-the-power-of-a-great-affection/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [ “\[Pierre\] was seized by terror lest he had aready in some way bound himself to do something that was evidently wrong, and that he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tolstoy-leo/pierre-was-seized-by-terror-lest-he-had-aready-in-some-way-bound/) [Tolstoy, Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tolstoy-leo/) > [I was fourteen when Kissinger made his secret trip to China, and then there was subsequently Nixon's trip to China, and I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/i-was-fourteen-when-kissinger-made-his-secret-trip-to-china-and-then/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [“Ministry seized an illegal Time-Turner from Theodore Nott and has kept it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tiffany/ministry-seized-an-illegal-time-turner-from-theodore-nott-and-has/) [John Tiffany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tiffany/) > [“He had already seized this particular day once, but he was prepared, if need be, to go ahead and seize the motherfucker all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/he-had-already-seized-this-particular-day-once-but-he-was-prepared-if/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) ## 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 Gains quotes > [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Europe is creating the flight of refugees that's tearing it apart politically, and leading rightwing nationalist parties to gain power to withdraw from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/europe-is-creating-the-flight-of-refugees-that-s-tearing-it-apart/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [The poet reminds men of their uniqueness and it is not necessary to possess the ultimate definition of this uniqueness. Even to speculate is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-poet-reminds-men-of-their-uniqueness-and-it-is-not-necessary-to/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you'll love it up here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/change-your-attitude-and-gain-some-altitude-believe-me-you-ll-love-it/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-china-someday-gains-a-more-fair-just-and-accountable-system-of/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-little-in-taking-or-giving-there-s-little-in-water-or-wine/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Some lose yet gain, others gain and yet lose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-lose-yet-gain-others-gain-and-yet-lose/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some people enjoy taking a light stroll in the morning and that gives them relief and that sort of feeling. That is what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichiro-suzuki/some-people-enjoy-taking-a-light-stroll-in-the-morning-and-that-gives/) [Ichiro Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichiro-suzuki/) > [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [Professional politicians like to talk about the value of experience in government. Nuts! The only experience you gain in politics is how to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/professional-politicians-like-to-talk-about-the-value-of-experience/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [How you educate the people around you, what steps you take toward making it better, what sacrifices you make. The equation of life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hawkins/how-you-educate-the-people-around-you-what-steps-you-take-toward/) [Andrew Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hawkins/) [Browse all 3,001 Gains quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Social gains are never handed out. 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