"I think that the wilderness can be a great teacher and that it has much in common with feminist ideas. And by feminism I mean getting in touch with your own values, intelligence, resourcefulness, physical capacities, and general ability to live a rich and satisfying life of your own, not only with, but also apart from, friends and loved ones. There is nothing like severing connections to outside resources—both mechanical and human—to show a person how much she or he can really do. Since women have traditionally been taught that they cannot handle tough situations, the confidence gained on wilderness outings can be particularly valuable for them. I believe that even one weekend backpacking, even in not very difficult surroundings, can have a tremendous and lasting effect on the spirit which will carry over into all aspects of life." — Maggie Nichols via Anne LaBastille Women and Wilderness
"Under all this dirt the floor is really very clean." — Lydia Davis Can't and Won't, "Housekeeping Observation"
"Television news is driven by compelling visuals, not by the intrinsic importance of the story being cast. Complicated, nonphotogenic issues requiring any considerable background information (global warming, for example) get left out of the running every time. Meanwhile, viewers are lured into assuming, at least subconsciously, that this ‘news’ is a random sampling of everything that happened on planet earth that day, and so represents reality." — Barbara Kingsolver Small Wonder
"When the situation is hopeless, there’s nothing to worry about." — Edward Abbey The Monkey Wrench Gang
"I think a lot of people really hate to admit it, but they start to think about how their past actions have contributed to this cycle of privilege or have possibly hurt people in the past—and they start to feel guilty about it. You know, unfortunately, instead of really slowing down and really trying to process these feelings and just hearing out the person who’s talking to them—instead of just slowing down and just shutting up for a second and listening, you know—they get really defensive. I think for a lot of folks, it’s like, they’re not denying that the privilege exists. I think, really they’re trying to defend themselves and say, 'I’m better than that.' Which is really unfortunate, ‘cause it’s supposed to be an educational moment. Right?" — Brandon Belcher For the Love of Climbing, Episode 17, "What We Know"
"No wonder studies show that women's intellectual self-esteem tends to go down as years of education go up. We have been studying our own absence." — Gloria Steinem My Life on the Road
"In the US, overt racism is pretty obvious to most people. So, it’s pretty easy to stand up for and defend others—right? But covert racism is just that—it’s covert, concealed, stealthy. Hidden within the fabric of our society and even hidden within the fabric of ourselves. And then, we rationalize it." — Kathy Karlo For the Love of Climbing, Episode 18, "Life Through a Sieve"
"We lived, as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn’t the same as ignorance, you have to work at it." — Margaret Atwood The Handmaid's Tale
"We are surrounded by racial inequity, as visible as the law, as hidden as our private thoughts." — Ibram Kendi How to Be an Antiracist
"The journey you travel on your feet is less important than the distance you cover in your head." — Mishka Shubaly
