--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reason I wrote Lean In is I think…" description: "\"The reason I wrote Lean In is I think people weren't actually noticing that we had stopped making progress. I gave a TED talk and said: \"It turns out m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e31/sheryl-sandberg-439_audience_the-reason-i-wrote-lean-in-is-i-think-pe_1249613.png" --- # The reason I wrote Lean In is I think people weren't… ![“The reason I wrote Lean In is I think people weren't actually noticing that we had stopped making progress. I gave a TED talk and said: "It turns out men still run the world." And the audience gasped as if that was news.” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e31/sheryl-sandberg-439_audience_the-reason-i-wrote-lean-in-is-i-think-pe_1249613.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e31/sheryl-sandberg-439_audience_the-reason-i-wrote-lean-in-is-i-think-pe_1249613.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e31/sheryl-sandberg-439_audience_the-reason-i-wrote-lean-in-is-i-think-pe_1249613.png) > “The reason I wrote Lean In is I think people weren't actually noticing that we had stopped making progress. I gave a TED talk and said: "It turns out men still run the world." And the audience gasped as if that was news.” [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. Despite progress, gender inequality persists; public acknowledgment can spark dialogue. **In simple terms:** Gender gaps remain; speak up. Key Takeaway Advocate for equity. Themes gender equality leadership awareness Mood determined hopeful Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - corporate meetings - policy discussions - public speaking Key Concepts systemic bias organizational culture Questions to Reflect On - What actions can close the gap? - How to sustain momentum after shock? A Different Perspective Change may face resistance and backlash. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Lean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lean/) [Lean Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lean-think-3932157/) [Making Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-progress/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Noticing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noticing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Progress Gave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress-gave-3932158/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Ted Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ted-talk-321915/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Wrote Lean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-lean-3424703/) ## Related quotes > [“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-2/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [When I wrote 'Lean In,' some people argue 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-argue-that-i-did-not-spend-enough/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [We've ceased making progress at the top in any industry anywhere in the world . In the United States, women have had 14% of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-ve-ceased-making-progress-at-the-top-in-any-industry-anywhere-in/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“If you do please everyone, you aren't making enough progress.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/if-you-do-please-everyone-you-aren-t-making-enough-progress/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Tim’s TED Talk, “Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/tim-s-ted-talk-inside-the-mind-of-a-master-procrastinator/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“Maybe we should stop asking how do we get people to pay for music, and start asking how do we let them pay for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/maybe-we-should-stop-asking-how-do-we-get-people-to-pay-for-music-and/) [Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/) > [“Jennifer Senior in her 2014 TED Talk”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-lythcott-haims/jennifer-senior-in-her-2014-ted-talk/) [Julie Lythcott-Haims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-lythcott-haims/) > [Whenever I get in a car and I'm going to or from the airport or the train station, I put on a TED Talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-tosi/whenever-i-get-in-a-car-and-i-m-going-to-or-from-the-airport-or-the/) [Christina Tosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-tosi/) > [“Derek Sivers, in his TED talk, says that psychology tests have proved that the good”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-mckey/derek-sivers-in-his-ted-talk-says-that-psychology-tests-have-proved-2/) [Zoe McKey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-mckey/) > [But after the TED talk went viral, I called Sara Hirsh Bordo, who had produced TEDxAustinWomen, to ask her advice. She told me she'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzie-velasquez/but-after-the-ted-talk-went-viral-i-called-sara-hirsh-bordo-who-had/) [Lizzie Velasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzie-velasquez/) > [“Derek Sivers, in his TED talk, says that psychology tests have proved that the good feeling spreading in you when you tell your plans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-mckey/derek-sivers-in-his-ted-talk-says-that-psychology-tests-have-proved/) [Zoe McKey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-mckey/) > [“As I detailed in my TED Talk, I think we all have two main characters in our heads: a rational decision-maker (the adult in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/as-i-detailed-in-my-ted-talk-i-think-we-all-have-two-main-characters/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“The Library should be more of a kitchen than a grocery store."--Joyce Valenza--TED Talk”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-valenza/the-library-should-be-more-of-a-kitchen-than-a-grocery-store-joyce/) [Joyce Valenza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-valenza/) > [The TED talk I gave, that gave me another character I didn't know about. I'm not saying the mind of a hero, but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/the-ted-talk-i-gave-that-gave-me-another-character-i-didn-t-know/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) > [ I saw the first one \[video with Hans Rosling \] when he did - I think it was his first one - in 2006,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-devlin/i-saw-the-first-one-video-with-hans-rosling-when-he-did-i-think-it/) [Keith Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-devlin/) ## 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 Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. 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