---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most important thing is to have a…"
description: "\"The most important thing is to have a more open and honest dialogue about gender issues.\" — Sheryl Sandberg"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/sheryl-sandberg-439_dialogue_the-most-important-thing-is-to-have-a-mo_2019861.png"
---

#  The most important thing is to have a more open and honest…

![“The most important thing is to have a more open and honest dialogue about gender issues.” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/sheryl-sandberg-439_dialogue_the-most-important-thing-is-to-have-a-mo_2019861.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/sheryl-sandberg-439_dialogue_the-most-important-thing-is-to-have-a-mo_2019861.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/sheryl-sandberg-439_dialogue_the-most-important-thing-is-to-have-a-mo_2019861.png)

> “The most important thing is to have a more open and honest dialogue about gender issues.”

[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 open, honest conversations about gender issues to foster understanding and progress.

**In simple terms:** Talk openly about gender to improve equality.

Key Takeaway

Encourage transparent dialogue in workplaces and communities.

Themes

gender equity communication honesty social change

Mood

hopeful determined serious

Type

leadership social activism

When to use this quote

- team meetings
- public forums
- educational workshops

Key Concepts

dialogue inclusion policy reform

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you create safe spaces for these talks?
- What barriers exist to open dialogue?

A Different Perspective

Conversations alone may be met with resistance or discomfort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender/) [Gender issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-issues/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/)

## Related quotes

> [It's true that PC culture has created very little honest dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sho-baraka/it-s-true-that-pc-culture-has-created-very-little-honest-dialogue/)

[Sho Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sho-baraka/)

> [A fully functional multiracial society cannot be achieved without a sense of history and open, honest dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/a-fully-functional-multiracial-society-cannot-be-achieved-without-a/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [There is a clear difference between sexist parody and parody of sexism. Sexist parody encourages the players to mock and trivialize gender issues while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-sarkeesian/there-is-a-clear-difference-between-sexist-parody-and-parody-of/)

[Anita Sarkeesian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-sarkeesian/)

> [Since Gamergate, many women I know are reluctant to speak publicly on gender issues, because they fear - rightly - that they will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-wu/since-gamergate-many-women-i-know-are-reluctant-to-speak-publicly-on/)

[Brianna Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-wu/)

> [It doesn't happen often, it's what you dream and hope for. We are happy, but we want to make sure these changes have teeth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ziering/it-doesn-t-happen-often-it-s-what-you-dream-and-hope-for-we-are-happy/)

[Amy Ziering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ziering/)

> [I'm someone who is inspired by people who've spoken out about different racial and gender issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/i-m-someone-who-is-inspired-by-people-who-ve-spoken-out-about/)

[Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/)

> [I can think of a handful of auditions where the director has literally said, "That is the opposite of what I think." But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lloyd-hughes/i-can-think-of-a-handful-of-auditions-where-the-director-has/)

[Henry Lloyd-Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lloyd-hughes/)

> [We are hopeful about the opportunities ahead, and stand ready to join this President in an open and honest dialogue about improving the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-clyburn/we-are-hopeful-about-the-opportunities-ahead-and-stand-ready-to-join/)

[Jim Clyburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-clyburn/)

> [“Effective, true deep listening and honest dialogue is a gift a soul can choose to give. How easy or difficult that can be depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/effective-true-deep-listening-and-honest-dialogue-is-a-gift-a-soul/)

[Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/)

> [If you want an honest dialogue, you can't criticize someone for what they say. You can't teach someone to think in a certain way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lloyd-hughes/if-you-want-an-honest-dialogue-you-can-t-criticize-someone-for-what/)

[Henry Lloyd-Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lloyd-hughes/)

> [“I remember two boys being suspected of being gay in my class as a child in the 1970’s. Assuming there were also two girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-remember-two-boys-being-suspected-of-being-gay-in-my-class-as-a/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [“Before this case, he’d never given any thought to transgender issues. His employers flew the rainbow flag and celebrated Pride week, so he shrugged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-chalker/before-this-case-he-d-never-given-any-thought-to-transgender-issues/)

Dawn Chalker

> [“Only when we got to the workforce did we start to care about gender issues. Now a lot of young women are realizing sexism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/only-when-we-got-to-the-workforce-did-we-start-to-care-about-gender/)

[Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/)

> [Growing up in a Jewish matriarchal world inside the patriarchal paradise of Salt Lake City, Utah, gave me increased perspective on gender issues, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/growing-up-in-a-jewish-matriarchal-world-inside-the-patriarchal/)

[Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/)

> [I'm more interested in a feminism that ends discrimination for all people. It's not just about a woman becoming the CEO of a company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/i-m-more-interested-in-a-feminism-that-ends-discrimination-for-all/)

[Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/)

## 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 Dialogue quotes

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Clay, if anyone followed anyone, it was me tagging along after you. I didn’t dare order you around.” “Load of shit,” he muttered, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/clay-if-anyone-followed-anyone-it-was-me-tagging-along-after-you-i/)

[Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/)

> [Dialogue and education for peace can help free our hearts from the impulse toward intolerance and the rejection of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/dialogue-and-education-for-peace-can-help-free-our-hearts-from-the/)

[Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/)

> [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [Propaganda begins when dialogue ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/propaganda-begins-when-dialogue-ends/)

[Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/)

> [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/)

[Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/)

> [ “\[A\]lways get to the dialogue as soon as possible. I always feel the thing to go for is speed. Nothing puts the reader off… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/a-lways-get-to-the-dialogue-as-soon-as-possible-i-always-feel-the/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [ I can hardly believe what these 12 caricatures \[about Prophet Muhammad\] have caused in the world. We Danes feel like we have been placed… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-fogh-rasmussen/i-can-hardly-believe-what-these-12-caricatures-about-prophet-muhammad/)

[Anders Fogh Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-fogh-rasmussen/)

> [“Free Flowing Dialogue “Have you ever been engaged in a conversation which was so dynamic that you were both firing on all cylinders, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/free-flowing-dialogue-have-you-ever-been-engaged-in-a-conversation/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [I thought that the world was a vast system of signs, a conversation between giant beings. My actions, the cricket's saw, the star's blink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/i-thought-that-the-world-was-a-vast-system-of-signs-a-conversation/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [As I get older and I get more of this dialogue and I lose more and more brain cells, it really does become the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-spiner/as-i-get-older-and-i-get-more-of-this-dialogue-and-i-lose-more-and/)

[Brent Spiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-spiner/)

> [It's true that PC culture has created very little honest dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sho-baraka/it-s-true-that-pc-culture-has-created-very-little-honest-dialogue/)

[Sho Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sho-baraka/)

Browse all 1,919 Dialogue quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The most important thing is to have a more open and honest dialogue about gender issues.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sheryl Sandberg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/the-most-important-thing-is-to-have-a-more-open-and-honest-dialogue/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dialogue"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/the-most-important-thing-is-to-have-a-more-open-and-honest-dialogue/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/sheryl-sandberg-439_dialogue_the-most-important-thing-is-to-have-a-mo_2019861.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/sheryl-sandberg-439_dialogue_the-most-important-thing-is-to-have-a-mo_2019861.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/sheryl-sandberg-439_dialogue_the-most-important-thing-is-to-have-a-mo_2019861.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The most important thing is to have a more open and honest dialogue about gender issues.” — Sheryl Sandberg",
                "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": "Sheryl Sandberg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The most important thing is to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/the-most-important-thing-is-to-have-a-more-open-and-honest-dialogue/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/the-most-important-thing-is-to-have-a-more-open-and-honest-dialogue/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
