Quotes about Assertiveness

Find that courageous yes. Fight for that confident no.

Don't allow the unrealistic demands of others to march freely into your life.

My counselor says, "Adults inform, children explain." I will state my boundaries with compassion and clarity. But I will not negotiate excuses or navigate exceptions with lengthy explanations that wear me down emotionally.

If the person you are trying so hard not to disappoint will be displeased by a no, they'll eventually be disappointed even if you say yes.

We must let our identity, not our insecurity, be the first thing that walks into every situation we face—every decision we make.

Trying to please everybody is impossible - if you did that, you'd end up in the middle with nobody liking you. You've just got to make the decision about what you think is your best, and do it.

I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.

So early in my life, I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise.

Feminism...is not 'women as victims' but women refusing to be victims.

if you don't stand up for yourselves, how can you stand up for anybody else?

In retrospect, the second cause for delay makes less feminist sense: the long popularity of assertiveness training. Though most women needed to be more assertive (or even more aggressive, though that word was considered too controversial), many assertiveness courses taught women how to play the existing game, not how to change the rules.

I'm beginning to realize the pleasure of being a nothing-to-lose, take-no-shit older woman.