What is your favorite quote by a woman? That is the question that has been circulating the ABL office (remotely, of course) as Women’s History Month draws to a close. We have the answers, and believe me when I say, it’ll be hard to walk away not feeling empowered as you read these six picks.
#1) “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” – Maya Angelou
“It’s a small quote but to me holds so much power. You never know what someone may be going through and you’re the light to their darkness. You give them hope.”
– Colleen Martinez, Office & Client Services Administrator
#2) “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker
“This quote has always stuck with me. I try to encourage my clients, especially when negotiating with larger entities, to know and ask for what they want.”
– Jackie Tate-Naghi, Senior Associate Attorney
#3) “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” – Audre Lorde
“I guess I love my quote so much because it’s anti-misogynist, & can be anti-ageist, anti-racist, & anti-homophobic, depending on who is doing the self-caring. In a society that tells some people they have no value, self-care asserts that we do. Self-care is not face masks & massages & smoothies– it’s the practical & unsexy stuff that matters most. Advocating for myself, being honest with myself & others, not letting work or relationships define my self-worth… I have always thought that’s what Audre meant. Not that she wouldn’t love a good face mask.”
– Juliet Hattersley, Operations Assistant
#4) “Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?” – Frida Kahlo
“I like it because it really summarizes how she used so many different types of expression to overcome so many different types of adversity. Pretty rad lady.”
– Tony Collins, Operations Manager
#5) “there is peaceful. there is wild. i am both at the same time. – sum” – Nayyirah Waheed
“So often we are expected to fit one label but I love the direct destruction of that construct with this simple, yet powerful poem.”
– Harleen Bola, Marketing Assistant
#6) “Justice is about making sure that being polite is not the same thing as being quiet. In fact, often times, the most righteous thing you can do is shake the table.” – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
“Our culture often emphasizes politeness over progress (especially from women). Especially these days, I try to remind myself often that change can’t happen if you spend your energy making everyone, including yourself, comfortable all the time.”
– Galia Aharoni Schmidt, Partner
Thank you for joining us for our special tribute to Women’s History Month!
Written by Harleen Bola
