Quotes by Shirley Chisholm

“It is not female egotism to say that the future of mankind may very well be ours to determine. It is a fact.”

“No matter what men think, abortion is a fact of life. Women have always had them; they always have and they always will. Are they going to have good ones or bad ones? Will the good ones be reserved...”

“When morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that profit loses.”

“Racism is so universal in this country, so widespread, and deep-seated, that it is invisible because it is so normal.”

“If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”

“The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says: It's a girl.”

“At present, our country needs women's idealism and determination, perhaps more in politics than anywhere else.”

“I want history to remember me... not as the first black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of the United States, but as a black woman who lived in the 20th century and who dared to be hers...”

“I know that millions of Americans from all walks of life agree with me that leadership does not mean putting the ear to the ground to follow public opinion, but to have the vision of what is necess...”

“I have certainly met much more discrimination in terms of being a woman than being black, in the field of politics.”

“Tremendous amounts of talent are lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt.”

“Legal discrimination between the sexes is, in almost every instance, founded on outmoded views of society and the pre-scientific beliefs about psychology and physiology. It is time to sweep away th...”

“My God, what do we want? What does any human being want? Take away an accident of pigmentation of a thin layer of our outer skin and there is no difference between me and anyone else. All we want i...”

“Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.”

“There is little place in the political scheme of things for an independent creative personality for a fighter. Anyone who takes that role must pay a price.”

“Of my two 'handicaps' being female put many more obstacles in my path than being black.”

“There is little place in the political scheme of things for an independent creative personality for a fighter. Anyone who takes that role must pay a price.”

“Of my two 'handicaps' being female put many more obstacles in my path than being black.”

“The Constitution they wrote was designed to protect the rights of white, male citizens. As there were no black Founding Fathers, there were no founding mothers — a great pity, on both counts. It is...”

“Of my two handicaps, being female put many more obstacles in my path than being black.”