--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whoever has the power takes the noun…" description: "\"“Whoever has the power takes the noun while the less powerful get an adjective. No one wants her achievements modified.We all just want to be the noun...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/sheryl-sandberg-439_adjective_whoever-has-the-power-takes-the-noun-whi_2320445.png" --- # Whoever has the power takes the noun while the less… ![“Whoever has the power takes the noun while the less powerful get an adjective. No one wants her achievements modified.We all just want to be the noun.” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/sheryl-sandberg-439_adjective_whoever-has-the-power-takes-the-noun-whi_2320445.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/sheryl-sandberg-439_adjective_whoever-has-the-power-takes-the-noun-whi_2320445.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/sheryl-sandberg-439_adjective_whoever-has-the-power-takes-the-noun-whi_2320445.png) > ““Whoever has the power takes the noun while the less powerful get an adjective. No one wants her achievements modified.We all just want to be the noun.”” [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. Power dynamics shape language: dominant groups become nouns, others adjectives, limiting recognition. **In simple terms:** Power influences how we are described. Key Takeaway Challenge linguistic power structures. Themes power language gender Mood critical empowering Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - media representation - workplace titles - public discourse Key Concepts social hierarchy identity politics Questions to Reflect On - How does language reflect power? - What can you do to rename narratives? A Different Perspective Changing language alone may not shift underlying power. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Whoever has power takes over the noun - and the norm - while the less powerful get an adjective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-and-the-norm-while-the-less/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Good is a noun rather than an adjective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/good-is-a-noun-rather-than-an-adjective/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [“I am an adjective that is quickly turning into a noun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-am-an-adjective-that-is-quickly-turning-into-a-noun/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [You make it a production. Slam doors. Knock things over. Scream. But I just leave. Even if I'm still standing there, I leave. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-make-it-a-production-slam-doors-knock-things-over-scream-but-i/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The noun phrase straw man, now used as a compound adjective as in 'straw-man device, technique or issue,' was popularized in American culture by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-noun-phrase-straw-man-now-used-as-a-compound-adjective-as-in/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [To speak today of a famous novelist is like speaking of a famous cabinetmaker or speedboat designer. Adjective is inappropriate to noun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/to-speak-today-of-a-famous-novelist-is-like-speaking-of-a-famous/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I miss the Stella girls telling me what I am. That I'm sweet and placid and accommodating and loyal and nonthreatening and good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-miss-the-stella-girls-telling-me-what-i-am-that-i-m-sweet-and/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [The adjective is the enemy of the noun. Variant: The adjective is the enemy of the substantive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-adjective-is-the-enemy-of-the-noun-variant-the-adjective-is-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Person, Place, Thing (Noun); Describes Action (Verb); Modifies Nouns (Adjective); Answers the W Questions (Adverb); Joins Words Together (Conjunction); Things We Say When We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/person-place-thing-noun-describes-action-verb-modifies-nouns/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [How can an adjective in front of a noun not describe the noun? There are dwarf stars, but they're still considered stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/how-can-an-adjective-in-front-of-a-noun-not-describe-the-noun-there/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [The adjective is the banana peel of the parts of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/the-adjective-is-the-banana-peel-of-the-parts-of-speech/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/christian-is-a-great-noun-and-a-poor-adjective/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“The book was sloppily written in many parts (the words came too quickly and too easily) and there was hardly a noun in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/the-book-was-sloppily-written-in-many-parts-the-words-came-too/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I'm showbiz-fat. It's so funny, in all the reviews that I read, no one wants to use the word 'fat' as an adjective. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-jaret-winokur/i-m-showbiz-fat-it-s-so-funny-in-all-the-reviews-that-i-read-no-one/) [Marissa Jaret Winokur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-jaret-winokur/) > [I like that 'Mad Men' is now an adjective I use to describe clothing when I'm shopping: 'I like this top. It's very 'Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-brie/i-like-that-mad-men-is-now-an-adjective-i-use-to-describe-clothing/) [Alison Brie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-brie/) ## 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 Adjective quotes > [I like that 'Mad Men' is now an adjective I use to describe clothing when I'm shopping: 'I like this top. It's very 'Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-brie/i-like-that-mad-men-is-now-an-adjective-i-use-to-describe-clothing/) [Alison Brie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-brie/) > [I'm showbiz-fat. It's so funny, in all the reviews that I read, no one wants to use the word 'fat' as an adjective. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-jaret-winokur/i-m-showbiz-fat-it-s-so-funny-in-all-the-reviews-that-i-read-no-one/) [Marissa Jaret Winokur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-jaret-winokur/) > [“The book was sloppily written in many parts (the words came too quickly and too easily) and there was hardly a noun in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/the-book-was-sloppily-written-in-many-parts-the-words-came-too/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/christian-is-a-great-noun-and-a-poor-adjective/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The adjective is the banana peel of the parts of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/the-adjective-is-the-banana-peel-of-the-parts-of-speech/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [Single \|sin-gle\| (adjective) - Too fabulous to settle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/single-sin-gle-adjective-too-fabulous-to-settle/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [How can an adjective in front of a noun not describe the noun? There are dwarf stars, but they're still considered stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/how-can-an-adjective-in-front-of-a-noun-not-describe-the-noun-there/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [A movie is a movie is a movie. But it has to have an adjective in front of it if it's not a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/a-movie-is-a-movie-is-a-movie-but-it-has-to-have-an-adjective-in/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [“Person, Place, Thing (Noun); Describes Action (Verb); Modifies Nouns (Adjective); Answers the W Questions (Adverb); Joins Words Together (Conjunction); Things We Say When We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/person-place-thing-noun-describes-action-verb-modifies-nouns/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/the-adjective-hasn-t-been-built-that-can-pull-a-weak-or-inaccurate/) [William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/) > [My goal in life is to become an adjective,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/my-goal-in-life-is-to-become-an-adjective/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [An adjective, such as 'flimsy,' describes someone's access to a thing, such as 'argument.' But that's just that someone's access. It may be accurate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-morton/an-adjective-such-as-flimsy-describes-someone-s-access-to-a-thing/) [Timothy Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-morton/) > [Whoever has power takes over the noun - and the norm - while the less powerful get an adjective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-and-the-norm-while-the-less/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I miss the Stella girls telling me what I am. That I'm sweet and placid and accommodating and loyal and nonthreatening and good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-miss-the-stella-girls-telling-me-what-i-am-that-i-m-sweet-and/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [You may call me selfish if you will, conservative or reactionary, or use any other harsh adjective you see fit to apply, but an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cabot-lodge/you-may-call-me-selfish-if-you-will-conservative-or-reactionary-or/) [Henry Cabot Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cabot-lodge/) Browse all 49 Adjective quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Whoever has the power takes the noun while the less powerful get an adjective. 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