Women’s Voices

Posted on by Deb

While still focusing on aging and the lighter side of that process, I really wanted to pay homage if you will to everyone who identifies as female across our earth. Wednesday, March 8th was the official celebration date this year for International Women’s Day. 

Statistically, according to the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control) men live on average to the age of 76, while women on average live to be 81 and are more often found to be healthier in general as they age. The CDC finds that biology and social influence are the top factors in the 5 year difference. 

Personally, I think the females of our species are wired to be better, stronger, faster and in general more lasting. Some may argue, but I believe they are among those that (have) just one thing in common… the right stuff when it comes to being successful and long lived. Okay- maybe more than one. Determination, stamina, drive, intelligence, humor, compassion, daring, grit, power, humility…let’s just say all the adjectives.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

**Bonus points for anyone who can pinpoint the source of those infamous taglines included above and while they originally were spoken about men I have chosen to borrow them for this post. They apply equally to women as well. 

I think the rest of this post will speak for itself given the fact that it is comprised of quotes from a variety of women. I will toss in a few of my personal, relatable views as well. So to stand with my aging sisters everywhere, in humor and pride, here are some of my favorites for growing older with attitude.

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So simple and so true. We may lose memories but inside no one can ever take away our youth: “The great thing about getting old is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been”  Madeleine L’Engle

Of course I had to add this one after last week’s post: “Don’t look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.” Anne Lamott

Ms Angelou exudes intelligence, compassion and insightful views: “I’m a feminist. I’ve been a female for a long time now. It’d be stupid not to be on my own side.” Maya Angelou

OMG- this one was written directly for and about me. I am the queen of sticky notes even though I have a notepad type app on my phone and other devices. I think I might even chop down a tree just to make sure we don’t run out of sticky notes: “The biggest lie I tell myself is ‘I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it.’”  Maxine

This simply says to me as a hugely notorious over-thinker- just live no matter how old you are: “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You just have to go down the chute.”  Tina Fey

I love this one from a strong, courageous woman who I suspect had a very dry sense of humor: “A woman is like a tea bag–you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

RBG- like Maya, is someone that should be listened to, always: “Every now and then it helps to be a little deaf…That advice has stood me in good stead. Not simply in dealing with my marriage, but in dealing with my colleagues.”  Ruth Bader Ginsburg 

YES to snacks, and to working hard to get them: “Why do they say we’re over the hill? I don’t even know what that means and why it’s a bad thing. When I go hiking and I get over the hill, that means I’m past the hard part and there’s a snack in my future.”  Ellen Degeneres

I can’t begin to express how much I want this final quote to happen in my lifetime: “Women grow radical with age. One day an army of gray haired women may quietly take over the earth.”  Gloria Steinem

45 thoughts on “Women’s Voices”

  1. Hello.
    This is such an inspiring and empowering post, especially in celebration of International Women’s Day. The quotes from various women are relatable and offer valuable insight into aging with attitude.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  2. These…are…a…Saturday morning DELIGHT! Thank you, Deb! What a fab mix of humor and truth…and quotes that are new to me. The Tina Fey – ‘just go down the chute’…the Ellen Degeneres over-the-hill (but that’s where the snack break waits) are so, so good. Thank you – and here’s to Gloria Steinem. I’ll join you, okay? xo! 💕💕💕

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    1. Thanks Vicki! Some of these I knew, others were new to me also and I loved all of them. I had to give a powerful fist pump to Gloria’s words and yes- join me and invite friends! I would say her words are the epitome of bad-ass older women 😉

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  3. Oh, oh, oh, I LOVE this post, Deb. Especially this sentence, “Determination, stamina, drive, intelligence, humor, compassion, daring, grit, power, humility…let’s just say all the adjectives.” And of course, all the quotes! I’d be stupid not to be on my own side — right!! Thank you for this beautiful, empowering, and humorous post to start my Saturday! 🙂 ❤ ❤ ❤

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    1. Thank you Wynne! Take these words and run with them, shout them to the world, ignore your feet and dance! Most of all, age with fun, wisdom and your own brand of sassy 😉

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    1. Thank you so much granny1947! Each of the quotes spoke to me in their own way and reminded me of the power of women and sisterhood we share. Thank you for reading today 🙂

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    1. Well thank you for reading! I appreciate that you stopped to read the post and I hope perhaps some of these resonate in a personal way with you or someone you know.

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  7. The quotes are excellent and full of wisdom and humor. We’ve probably talked about this in person, but I think women’s strength and longevity could be related to being more in touch and more open with our emotions and stresses. It’s way healthier, in my unscientific opinion. 🙂

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    1. I think that sharing aspect could be very true, and falls under a more open social pattern that a lot of women embrace, especially as they age perhaps? I go back to my post on my grandma though, and her stoicism and stalwart nature. I don’t see her ever sitting down at her kitchen table with a coffee or tea talking with a female acquaintance 😉 She just went about life because she had to and lived to 98 in spite of hardship. Women are amazing and whatever drives them or helps them to keep going is probably yet to be discovered- also in my own unscientific opinion! 😉

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  8. What wonderful quotes, Deb–thank you for sharing! I’ve found myself thinking about the Madeleine L’Engle one. It’s easy to look back on the “lost” years, but we rarely stop to consider that we still carry the memories, the experience, and the lessons learned. 🙂

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    1. So, so true Erin. Every single thing we experience as we grow influences who we become. That’s one of the unique aspects of the human species- our cognitive ability to reflect, learn and grow (if needed) from the past. I think we’re imprinted with every event and I’m glad that we also have the choice to use those events in positive ways…and teach others as we grow older. Happy weekend!

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  9. My mother is one of my biggest role models. At 89, she still has the heart of a 16 yr old. When she was in her late teens, she had to have her remaining teeth pulled out (they were poor and her teeth were shot) 14 teeth in one setting, no novocaine…can’t imagine how she dealt with that as a teen age girl… But she did. To this day, she doesn’t have a lot of tolerance to whiners. I love my mom. Great tribute here Deb, with lots of good quotes. I especially love the one by Tina Fey.

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    1. Oh Doug, I can’t begin to imagine the trauma your mom faced with that outcome. That lady has guts and amazing strength and I admire her! The Tina Fey quote was quite good, and very pointed indeed. Sometimes you just have to leap into the unknown and see how things turn out! Next time you’re with mom give her an extra hug for me okay-an amazing lady!

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    1. Hi EA! I hope as people read through them they can reflect a bit, both on themselves and their viewpoints but also on people they may know, especially the strong women in their lives.

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  12. My mother was a feminist before feminists were cool and I learned from her starting when I was in diapers and she took me to her League of Women Voters meeting. I read recently that, despite some disparaging remarks about Boomers that some of the younger generations make, actually Boomer women are often their most vocal allies. We are the ones marching side-by-side with them, advocating for climate change action and women’s healthcare rights.

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    1. I love how girls have in the past and continue to learn from their moms/aunts/grandmas and older women in general. I didn’t have that experience, but you can bet that I’ve passed on my often very pointed opinions on women in society to my kids (son included) and granddaughters. I feel good about that legacy!

      I totally agree with the way older women have aligned themselves with current issues and remain vocal on things that really, historically were always an extended part of feminism- especially healthcare, but I remember protests in the 70’s filled with messages about the ways we were impacting our planet even then. I think the hippies got blamed more for those concepts though…and ignored just as often as our current attempts at awareness.

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    1. Glad that you could relate Patti! Sometimes a bit of overthinking brings me clarity, other times it just causes stress, but I keep the option around with guarded control 😉 I think there are many of us that would join the gray haired army and I love that. We can all stand in solidarity and take over the world!

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    1. Yes! Thanks for being a comrade in the sustained sticky note club Brenda! I’ve always written reminders to myself, I even still put my shopping list on paper even though I have those capabilities on my phone. I do like, and depend on my paper and pen though!

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      1. I don’t like using my phone or electronic devices for notes/lists – I’d forget to use them. I’m now making good use of a Bullet Journal and that’s working extremely well for me. I maybe get through a book every couple of months, but it does contain absolutely everything and because its always to hand, its easier for me to work with – plus I like the tactile nature of pen and paper – plus with my BuJo I’m getting quite creative and enjoy playing with washi tape, stickers and marker pens – I love stationery, always have, so definitely in my element

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      2. I love combining the needed reminders with art and creativity! I don’t use a traditional planner anymore now that I’m retired but I still have a wall calendar full of notes. I get a new one full of pictures of my grands at Christmas time each year!

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  15. Great stuff! I especially liked the Ellen Degeneres quote. I love her point of view and I have to agree. Once you get over the top of the hill the ride/walk downward is the easy part. Thanks for posting.

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    1. Hello Roze! I love seeing new names in the comments! I could definitely resonate with that post- a snack reward is always motivating isn’t it. It’s important to do the hard stuff to get to the other side… Glad that you came to HoTM and for the comment!

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    1. That is a good one isn’t it. My daughter in law is a huge Madeleine L’Engle fan so I was happy to find that one and relate to it’s simplicity and truth, which I know she likes as well.

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