--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being passive doesn't mean being…" description: "\"“Being passive doesn't mean being subservient. Her power lay in how well she chose to respond. There was no subservience involved.”\" — Victoria Hislop" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c30/victoria-hislop-35465_subservience_being-passive-doesn-t-mean-being-subserv_2370566.jpg" --- # Being passive doesn't mean being subservient. Her power… ![“Being passive doesn't mean being subservient. Her power lay in how well she chose to respond. There was no subservience involved.” quote by Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c30/victoria-hislop-35465_subservience_being-passive-doesn-t-mean-being-subserv_2370566.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c30/victoria-hislop-35465_subservience_being-passive-doesn-t-mean-being-subserv_2370566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c30/victoria-hislop-35465_subservience_being-passive-doesn-t-mean-being-subserv_2370566.jpg) > ““Being passive doesn't mean being subservient. Her power lay in how well she chose to respond. There was no subservience involved.”” [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Powerful woman chooses thoughtful responses over passive compliance, showing agency without subservience. **In simple terms:** Choosing responses shows strength, not subservience. Key Takeaway Respond thoughtfully, not passively. Themes empowerment agency response Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal relationships - leadership - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology of power assertiveness Questions to Reflect On - When is passive response effective? - How does thoughtful response shape perception? A Different Perspective Passive may be misinterpreted as weakness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Passive Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passive-doesn-5837149/) [Respond Subservience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respond-subservience-5837150/) [Subservience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subservience/) [Subservient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subservient/) [Subservient Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subservient-power-240026/) ## Related quotes > [“ The only reason to be subservient to those with power is so that you can learn to someday take what they have. 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These are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/if-you-are-black-the-only-roads-into-the-mainland-of-american-life/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [Thomas Jefferson, the leading Enlightenment figure in the United States, along with Benjamin Franklin, who took exactly the same view, argued that dependence will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/thomas-jefferson-the-leading-enlightenment-figure-in-the-united/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ In the long run \[censorship\] will create a generation incapable of appreciating the difference between independence of thought and subservience. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/in-the-long-run-censorship-will-create-a-generation-incapable-of/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [Dependence begets subservience and paves the way for tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/dependence-begets-subservience-and-paves-the-way-for-tyranny/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Dependence leads to subservience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/dependence-leads-to-subservience/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Economic analysis is the first principle of Marxism. Professors who were genuine leftists would have challenged the entire economics-driven machinery of American academe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/economic-analysis-is-the-first-principle-of-marxism-professors-who/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Chuchill has renounced all British interests in Europe and those of his people who are not blind now realise that the pretext for this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-joyce/chuchill-has-renounced-all-british-interests-in-europe-and-those-of/) [William Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-joyce/) > [ In the case of a man and a woman \[accused of commiting a crime together\], both will often agree to the man taking the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/in-the-case-of-a-man-and-a-woman-accused-of-commiting-a-crime/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [The public school system: "Usually a twelve year sentence of mind control. Crushing creativity, smashing individualism, encouraging collectivism and compromise, destroying the exercise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-public-school-system-usually-a-twelve-year-sentence-of-mind/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [In any case, the fear of subservience is quite imaginary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/in-any-case-the-fear-of-subservience-is-quite-imaginary/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Those which defend liberty, equality and fraternity, seem to us superior to those which accept tyranny, the subservience of women, social and ethnic hatred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-gueant/those-which-defend-liberty-equality-and-fraternity-seem-to-us/) [Claude Gueant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-gueant/) > [We need worship for our spirit, fellowship for our soul and committed subservience for our body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-norman/we-need-worship-for-our-spirit-fellowship-for-our-soul-and-committed/) [Larry Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-norman/) ## More by Victoria Hislop > [“Mount Olympus. This ever-changing sea. The tankers. The fishing vessels. I know you think I can't see them, but I could once. I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hislop/mount-olympus-this-ever-changing-sea-the-tankers-the-fishing-vessels/) [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) > [“People always want to direct a visitor to their favourite place,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hislop/people-always-want-to-direct-a-visitor-to-their-favourite-place/) [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) > [“After the endless disappointing cups of Nescafé, served as though the tasteless dissolving granules of instant coffee were a delicacy, Alexis felt no cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hislop/after-the-endless-disappointing-cups-of-nescaf-served-as-though-the/) [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) > [“Dance halls were where young men and women conducted their courtships, and most had one clear objective: to find a spouse. Mercedes was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hislop/dance-halls-were-where-young-men-and-women-conducted-their-courtships/) [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) > [“Books are the essence of life. And there is nothing like a good story to pass the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hislop/books-are-the-essence-of-life-and-there-is-nothing-like-a-good-story/) [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) > [“The sun rose, the moon saturated the night sky with its silver light and the stars blazed, indifferent to the events happening below them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hislop/the-sun-rose-the-moon-saturated-the-night-sky-with-its-silver-light/) [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) > [“They wound their way through a labyrinth of streets, partly following their noses, partly the orientation of the map. Jardines, Mirasol, Cruz, Puentezuelas, Capuchinas...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hislop/they-wound-their-way-through-a-labyrinth-of-streets-partly-following/) [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) > [“Like any collection of family photographs, it was a random selection that told only fragments of a story. The real tale would be revealed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hislop/like-any-collection-of-family-photographs-it-was-a-random-selection/) [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) > [“Why do people stay together? Putting aside ‘for the sake of the children’, and ‘the habit of years’ and ‘economic reasons’ as lawyers’ nonsense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hislop/why-do-people-stay-together-putting-aside-for-the-sake-of-the/) [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) > [“Once she was face to face with the people who led the way their silence was unnerving. No one seemed to speak. They looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hislop/once-she-was-face-to-face-with-the-people-who-led-the-way-their/) [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) > [“The parrot had a range of phrases. His own name ('Niko, Niko'), the name of his original owner and now 'Stavros'. Occasionally he would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hislop/the-parrot-had-a-range-of-phrases-his-own-name-niko-niko-the-name-of/) [Victoria Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) [Explore all 12 Victoria Hislop quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-hislop/) ## More Subservience quotes > [We need worship for our spirit, fellowship for our soul and committed subservience for our body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-norman/we-need-worship-for-our-spirit-fellowship-for-our-soul-and-committed/) [Larry Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-norman/) > [Those which defend liberty, equality and fraternity, seem to us superior to those which accept tyranny, the subservience of women, social and ethnic hatred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-gueant/those-which-defend-liberty-equality-and-fraternity-seem-to-us/) [Claude Gueant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-gueant/) > [In any case, the fear of subservience is quite imaginary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/in-any-case-the-fear-of-subservience-is-quite-imaginary/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The public school system: "Usually a twelve year sentence of mind control. Crushing creativity, smashing individualism, encouraging collectivism and compromise, destroying the exercise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-public-school-system-usually-a-twelve-year-sentence-of-mind/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ In the case of a man and a woman \[accused of commiting a crime together\], both will often agree to the man taking the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/in-the-case-of-a-man-and-a-woman-accused-of-commiting-a-crime/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Chuchill has renounced all British interests in Europe and those of his people who are not blind now realise that the pretext for this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-joyce/chuchill-has-renounced-all-british-interests-in-europe-and-those-of/) [William Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-joyce/) > [Economic analysis is the first principle of Marxism. Professors who were genuine leftists would have challenged the entire economics-driven machinery of American academe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/economic-analysis-is-the-first-principle-of-marxism-professors-who/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Dependence leads to subservience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/dependence-leads-to-subservience/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Dependence begets subservience and paves the way for tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/dependence-begets-subservience-and-paves-the-way-for-tyranny/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ In the long run \[censorship\] will create a generation incapable of appreciating the difference between independence of thought and subservience. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/in-the-long-run-censorship-will-create-a-generation-incapable-of/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [Thomas Jefferson, the leading Enlightenment figure in the United States, along with Benjamin Franklin, who took exactly the same view, argued that dependence will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/thomas-jefferson-the-leading-enlightenment-figure-in-the-united/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“A desire and a goal not to be subservient to another or to be in charge of one’s life is a good thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/a-desire-and-a-goal-not-to-be-subservient-to-another-or-to-be-in/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [If you are black, the only roads into the mainland of American life are through subservience, cowardice, and loss of manhood. These are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/if-you-are-black-the-only-roads-into-the-mainland-of-american-life/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [The God of the Bible is the God of liberation rather than oppression; a God of justice rather than injustice; a God of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-boesak/the-god-of-the-bible-is-the-god-of-liberation-rather-than-oppression/) [Allan Boesak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-boesak/) > [“It would not do to be Lord of a universe inhabited solely by serfs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/it-would-not-do-to-be-lord-of-a-universe-inhabited-solely-by-serfs/) [Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/) [Browse all 33 Subservience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subservience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Being passive doesn't mean being subservient. 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