--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has always been preferable to…" description: "\"“It has always been preferable to attribute a woman's success to her beauty rather to her brains, to reduce her to the sum of her sex life.”\" — Stacy S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/stacy-schiff-7881_attributes_it-has-always-been-preferable-to-attribu_1407419.png" --- # It has always been preferable to attribute a woman's… ![“It has always been preferable to attribute a woman's success to her beauty rather to her brains, to reduce her to the sum of her sex life.” quote by Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/stacy-schiff-7881_attributes_it-has-always-been-preferable-to-attribu_1407419.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/stacy-schiff-7881_attributes_it-has-always-been-preferable-to-attribu_1407419.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/stacy-schiff-7881_attributes_it-has-always-been-preferable-to-attribu_1407419.png) > ““It has always been preferable to attribute a woman's success to her beauty rather to her brains, to reduce her to the sum of her sex life.”” [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society often credits women's achievements to appearance over intellect, diminishing their agency and reinforcing gender stereotypes. **In simple terms:** Women are praised for looks, not smarts, limiting their value. Key Takeaway Challenge gender bias in crediting success. Themes gender bias women's representation stereotypes recognition equality Mood critical reflective Type analytical social commentary When to use this quote - media analysis - workplace evaluation - education - political discourse Key Concepts feminist critique social commentary Questions to Reflect On - How does this bias affect women's career advancement? - What steps can we take to value intellect over appearance? A Different Perspective May overlook genuine talent and reinforce harmful norms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attribute Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attribute-woman-4950082/) [Attributes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attributes/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Beauty Brains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty-brains/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brains Reduce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brains-reduce-4950081/) [Her beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/her-beauty/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Sex life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex-life/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-beauty-1686483/) [Woman Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman-success-2072556/) ## Related quotes > [ “\[Cleopatra's\] power has been made to derive from her sexuality, for obvious reason; as one of Caesar's murderers had noted, 'How much more attention… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/cleopatra-s-power-has-been-made-to-derive-from-her-sexuality-for/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [I think as a writer you never have to flee from fame because you're not that visible in the first place, but, after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mcdonagh/i-think-as-a-writer-you-never-have-to-flee-from-fame-because-you-re/) [Martin McDonagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mcdonagh/) > [We're in a world that celebrates things: success, beauty, money. And I reckon that's really about 4 per cent of the world. The rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-staunton/we-re-in-a-world-that-celebrates-things-success-beauty-money-and-i/) [Imelda Staunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-staunton/) > [She (Madame Bovary) had that indefinable beauty that comes from happiness, enthusiasm, success - a beauty that is nothing more or less than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/she-madame-bovary-had-that-indefinable-beauty-that-comes-from/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [It's rare to find women who have that balance between work and life, who are really psyched for another woman's success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-fox/it-s-rare-to-find-women-who-have-that-balance-between-work-and-life/) [Dana Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-fox/) > [There is a world-old controversy that crops up whenever women attempt to enter a new field. Is a woman fit for that work? It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bancroft-law/there-is-a-world-old-controversy-that-crops-up-whenever-women-attempt/) [Ruth Bancroft Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bancroft-law/) > [I've always believed that one woman's success can only help another woman's success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-vanderbilt/i-ve-always-believed-that-one-woman-s-success-can-only-help-another/) [Gloria Vanderbilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-vanderbilt/) > [Self respect and dignity are more important for a woman than success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishita-dutta/self-respect-and-dignity-are-more-important-for-a-woman-than-success/) [Ishita Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishita-dutta/) > [To marry a woman with any success a man must have a total experience of her, he must come to see her and accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-keyes/to-marry-a-woman-with-any-success-a-man-must-have-a-total-experience/) [James W Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-keyes/) > [“Try not to be a man or woman of success, but rather a man or woman of inspiration. If you’re successful, they will flock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/try-not-to-be-a-man-or-woman-of-success-but-rather-a-man-or-woman-of/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Don't be upset when you see people around you get surprised at your great success. Their reaction is natural because they simply knew you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taskinsoy/don-t-be-upset-when-you-see-people-around-you-get-surprised-at-your/) [JOHN TASKINSOY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taskinsoy/) > [Woman's success story are written to bed.and Who would not write, he trumpeted to the exploitation of women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/woman-s-success-story-are-written-to-bed-and-who-would-not-write-he/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [I have gone from being a 21-year-old with wide eyes to a 24-year-old woman. With success comes a lot of responsibility and power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-have-gone-from-being-a-21-year-old-with-wide-eyes-to-a-24-year-old/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [Woman's success in lifting men out of their way of life nearly resembling that of the beasts who merely hunted and fished for food,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ritter-beard/woman-s-success-in-lifting-men-out-of-their-way-of-life-nearly/) [Mary Ritter Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ritter-beard/) > [Beauty and brains, pleasure and usability - they should go hand in hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beauty-and-brains-pleasure-and-usability-they-should-go-hand-in-hand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Stacy Schiff > [As always, an educated woman was a dangerous woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/as-always-an-educated-woman-was-a-dangerous-woman/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Recently a study proved that working from a larger, less cluttered computer screen increases concentration. I could have told them that. And yes, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/recently-a-study-proved-that-working-from-a-larger-less-cluttered/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“She did not believe Fate as painstaking as her husband; she was more inclined to take matters into her own hands. She had ample…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/she-did-not-believe-fate-as-painstaking-as-her-husband-she-was-more/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [What we know about Cleopatra's looks is based purely on her coin portraits. Engraving was imperfect, and that when you are a ruler and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/what-we-know-about-cleopatra-s-looks-is-based-purely-on-her-coin/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [No one in the modern world controls the wealth or territory that Cleopatra did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/no-one-in-the-modern-world-controls-the-wealth-or-territory-that/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“Against a powerful enchantress there is no contest. 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Clever women, Euripides had warned hundreds of years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/cleopatra-stood-at-one-of-the-most-dangerous-intersections-in-history/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“Nabokov complained he was afflicted with total recall, an affliction of which he could be miraculously cured by the presence of a biographer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/nabokov-complained-he-was-afflicted-with-total-recall-an-affliction/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“History existed to be retold, with more panache but not necessarily greater accuracy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/history-existed-to-be-retold-with-more-panache-but-not-necessarily/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“Véra assumed her married name almost as a stage name; rarely has matrimony so much represented a profession. It was one of the ironies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/v-ra-assumed-her-married-name-almost-as-a-stage-name-rarely-has/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [When a woman teams up with a snake a moral storm threatens somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/when-a-woman-teams-up-with-a-snake-a-moral-storm-threatens-somewhere/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [The interesting thing about Cleopatra is that she is such a shape-shifter. I mean through history we've all molded her to our times and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/the-interesting-thing-about-cleopatra-is-that-she-is-such-a-shape/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [parenting is an exercise in unintended consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/parenting-is-an-exercise-in-unintended-consequences/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Strangely enough, politics may just be the one realm in which having kids imposes no penalty on women. Kids are practically a necessity. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/strangely-enough-politics-may-just-be-the-one-realm-in-which-having/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) [Explore all 86 Stacy Schiff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) ## More Attributes quotes > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [I think the greatest imagination we can exercise is one that imagines how someone else feels. Because you know how you feel, but so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gelbart/i-think-the-greatest-imagination-we-can-exercise-is-one-that-imagines/) [Larry Gelbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gelbart/) > [A lover asked his beloved, Do you love yourself more than you love me? Beloved replied, I have died to myself and I live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-lover-asked-his-beloved-do-you-love-yourself-more-than-you-love-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the greatest attributes of jazz, I think, is that it is that open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/one-of-the-greatest-attributes-of-jazz-i-think-is-that-it-is-that-open/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [God is compassionate and just, loving and holy, wrathful and forgiving. WE can't sideline His more difficult attributes to make room for the palatable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/god-is-compassionate-and-just-loving-and-holy-wrathful-and-forgiving/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [I'm Irish and always will be, but America has taught me so much. 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Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [If I have any attribute that serves me well, it's I don't have a long-range plan in life. I have no idea. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wilbon/if-i-have-any-attribute-that-serves-me-well-it-s-i-don-t-have-a-long/) [Michael Wilbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wilbon/) [Browse all 852 Attributes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attributes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It has always been preferable to attribute a woman's success to her beauty rather to her brains, to reduce her to the sum of her sex life.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stacy Schiff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/it-has-always-been-preferable-to-attribute-a-woman-s-success-to-her/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attributes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/it-has-always-been-preferable-to-attribute-a-woman-s-success-to-her/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/stacy-schiff-7881_attributes_it-has-always-been-preferable-to-attribu_1407419.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/stacy-schiff-7881_attributes_it-has-always-been-preferable-to-attribu_1407419.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/stacy-schiff-7881_attributes_it-has-always-been-preferable-to-attribu_1407419.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It has always been preferable to attribute a woman's success to her beauty rather to her brains, to reduce…” — Stacy Schiff", "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": "Stacy Schiff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It has always been preferable to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/it-has-always-been-preferable-to-attribute-a-woman-s-success-to-her/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/it-has-always-been-preferable-to-attribute-a-woman-s-success-to-her/#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 } } ] } ```