--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In our civilization men are afraid they…" description: "\"“In our civilization men are afraid they will not be men enough, and women are afraid they might be considered only women.”\" — Theodor Reik" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/theodor-reik-24379_quote_in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they_1731742.jpg" --- # In our civilization men are afraid they will not be men… ![“In our civilization men are afraid they will not be men enough, and women are afraid they might be considered only women.” quote by Theodor Reik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/theodor-reik-24379_quote_in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they_1731742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/theodor-reik-24379_quote_in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they_1731742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/theodor-reik-24379_quote_in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they_1731742.jpg) > ““In our civilization men are afraid they will not be men enough, and women are afraid they might be considered only women.”” [Theodor Reik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-reik/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal pressures cause men to doubt their masculinity and women to fear being reduced to gender stereotypes, limiting authentic self‑expression. **In simple terms:** Gender expectations create insecurity. Key Takeaway Challenge stereotypes to foster authentic identities. Themes gender identity social pressure Mood introspective hopeful Type sociological inspirational When to use this quote - workplace dynamics - education - media representation - personal relationships Key Concepts masculinity femininity self‑concept Questions to Reflect On - How do you confront gender expectations in daily life? - What steps can society take to reduce gender‑based anxiety? A Different Perspective Cultural change is slow and resistance is common. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) ## Related quotes > [In our civilization men are afraid they will not be man enough, and women are afraid that they might be considered only women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they-will-not-be-man-enough-and/) [Theodor Reik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-reik/) > [In our civilization, men are afraid that they will not be men enough and women are afraid that they may be considered only women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-that-they-will-not-be-men-enough/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“At core, men are afraid women will laugh at them, while at core, women are afraid men will kill them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-de-becker/at-core-men-are-afraid-women-will-laugh-at-them-while-at-core-women/) [Gavin de Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-de-becker/) > [Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/men-are-afraid-that-women-will-laugh-at-them-women-are-afraid-that/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Just as women are afraid of receiving, men are afraid of giving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/just-as-women-are-afraid-of-receiving-men-are-afraid-of-giving/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [It is understandable that the perspectives of men and women on safety are so different--men and women live in different worlds...at core, men are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-de-becker/it-is-understandable-that-the-perspectives-of-men-and-women-on-safety/) [Gavin de Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-de-becker/) > [ “For whom is the religion of the Self \[Atma Dharm\] for? It is for the one who is not blinded or dazzled by anyone.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/for-whom-is-the-religion-of-the-self-atma-dharm-for-it-is-for-the-one/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [I'm afraid to be considered an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iko-uwais/i-m-afraid-to-be-considered-an-actor/) [Iko Uwais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iko-uwais/) > [There has never been but one question in all civilization-how to keep a few men from saying to many men: You work and earn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/there-has-never-been-but-one-question-in-all-civilization-how-to-keep/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“Women provide the only true link to civilization. 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They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/but-why-give-a-man-something-it-s-so-hard-to-earn-in-that-respect/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Women aren't physically afraid of men; women are genetically afraid of men. It's happened for such a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-myles/women-aren-t-physically-afraid-of-men-women-are-genetically-afraid-of/) [Eileen Myles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-myles/) ## More by Theodor Reik > [“It was strange to find that love does not spring from abundance and richness of the ego, but is a way out of inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/it-was-strange-to-find-that-love-does-not-spring-from-abundance-and/) [Theodor Reik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-reik/) > [The man who has never made a fool of himself in love will never be wise in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/the-man-who-has-never-made-a-fool-of-himself-in-love-will-never-be/) [Theodor Reik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-reik/) > [“The original restrictive meaning of sexual aberration which derives satisfaction from a passive relation to the partner has been retained. Masochism, however, has come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/the-original-restrictive-meaning-of-sexual-aberration-which-derives/) [Theodor Reik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-reik/) > [Great innovators and original thinkers and artists attract the wrath of mediocrities as lightning rods draw the flashes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/great-innovators-and-original-thinkers-and-artists-attract-the-wrath/) [Theodor Reik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-reik/) > [We are all in a race for dear life: that is to say, we are fugitives from death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/we-are-all-in-a-race-for-dear-life-that-is-to-say-we-are-fugitives/) [Theodor Reik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-reik/) > [There are only two roads that lead to something like human happiness. 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The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) Yoram Wind [Browse all 15,705 Feminism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In our civilization men are afraid they will not be men enough, and women are afraid they might be considered only women.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Theodor Reik" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they-will-not-be-men-enough-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feminism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they-will-not-be-men-enough-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/theodor-reik-24379_quote_in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they_1731742.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/theodor-reik-24379_quote_in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they_1731742.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/theodor-reik-24379_quote_in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they_1731742.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In our civilization men are afraid they will not be men enough, and women are afraid they might be…” — Theodor Reik", "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": "Theodor Reik", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-reik/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In our civilization men are afraid...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they-will-not-be-men-enough-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/in-our-civilization-men-are-afraid-they-will-not-be-men-enough-and/#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 } } ] } ```