Quote of the day by Melinda French Gates: “A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice…”

Quote
of
the
day
by
Meli da
F e ch
Gates

Meli da
F e ch
Gates’
wo ds
speak
to
somethi g
a
g eat
ma y
people
quietly
ecog ise
i
themselves,
the
lo g,
ofte
u comfo table
jou ey
towa ds
ge ui e
co fide ce,
ho est
self-exp essio ,
a d
sta di g
up
fo
whateve
actually
matte s
to
you.
“A
woma
with
a
voice
is
by
defi itio
a
st o g
woma ,”
she
said.
“But
the
sea ch
to
fi d
that
voice
ca
be
ema kably
difficult.”
She
said
this
i
a
speech
delive ed
o
16
Octobe
2003,
at
the
Powe ful
Voices
Lu cheo
i
Seattle,
a
o ga isatio
suppo ti g
gi ls
a d
you g
wome
i
the
egio ,
a d
the
full
t a sc ipt
emai s
available
today
o
the
Bill
&
Meli da
Gates
Fou datio ‘s
ow
website.
Speaki g
with
ge ui e
co fide ce
a ely
comes
atu ally
to
eve yo e
st aight
away,
a d
fo
a
g eat
ma y
wome
i
pa ticula ,
fi di g
that
voice
i
the
fi st
place
ca
ge ui ely
mea
wo ki g
th ough
eal
fea ,
eal
social
expectatio ,
a d
the
quiet
p essu e
to
simply
stay
ag eeable
a d
stay
quiet
i stead.

Quote
of
the
day
by
Meli da
F e ch
Gates

“A
woma
with
a
voice
is
by
defi itio
a
st o g
woma .
But
the
sea ch
to
fi d
that
voice
ca
be
ema kably
difficult”

What
Meli da
F e ch
Gates
actually
said,
i
he
ow
fulle
wo ds

The
full
passage
f om
that
2003
speech
gives
the
quote
co side ably
mo e
depth
tha
the
si gle
li e
usually
sha ed
o
its
ow .
“How
does
a
gi l
become
st o g?
How
does
she
e act
cha ge?
How
does
she
g ow
i to
a
st o g
woma ?”
Gates
asked
he
audie ce
di ectly.
“It
begi s
with
a
step
that
sou ds
simple,
but
is ‘t.
She
fi ds
he
voice.
A
woma
with
a
voice
is
by
defi itio
a
st o g
woma .
But
the
sea ch
to
fi d
that
voice
ca
be
ema kably
difficult.

”
She
we t
o
to
ame
eal,
specific
easo s
why
that
sea ch
is
ge ui ely
so
ha d,
poi ti g
out
that
i
most
atio s
a ou d
the
wo ld,
wome
still
eceive
substa tially
less
educatio
tha
me ,
a d
that
i
much
of
the
developi g
wo ld,
most
wome
do
ot
eceive
a y
fo mal
educatio
at
all.
She
the
added
somethi g
eve
mo e
poi ted,
that
fi di g
o e’s
voice
“is
made
mo e
difficult
by
the
thousa ds
of
subtle
p essu es,
cove t
a d
ove t,
that
coax
you g
wome
to
mute
thei
voices
i
o de
to
please
thei
pa e ts,
thei
teache s,
thei
boyf ie ds
a d
sometimes
eve
thei
employe s.”

What
is
the
mea i g
behi d
this
quote
by
Meli da
Gates

The
quote
suggests
that
havi g
a
ge ui e
voice
is
eally
about
a
good
deal
mo e
tha
simply
bei g
able
to
speak
out
loud.
It
mea s
feeli g
co fide t
e ough
to
actually
exp ess
you
ow
ideas,
you
ow
bou da ies,
you
ow
ho est
beliefs,
eve
whe
doi g
so
feels
ge ui ely
u comfo table.
Buildi g
that
ki d
of
co fide ce
takes
eal
time
fo
almost
eve yo e.
People
ve y
ofte
al eady
k ow
exactly
what
they
thi k,
yet
still
hesitate
to
say
it
out
loud,
wo ied
about
c iticism,
ejectio ,
o
simply
bei g
judged
u fai ly
fo
speaki g
up.
Social
expectatio
shapes
how
comfo table
someo e
actually
feels
about
speaki g
ope ly
too,
sometimes
i
ways
that
a e
ge ui ely
ha d
to
otice
u til
you
stop
a d
look
closely
at
you
ow
hesitatio .
Fi di g
you
ow
voice,
i
this
se se,
becomes
a
ge ui ely
pe so al
jou ey
athe
tha
a
si gle
mome t
that
simply
happe s
to
you.

Why
fi di g
you
ow
voice
is
ge ui ely
so
difficult
fo
so
ma y
people

Co fide ce
eve
develops
i
quite
the
same
way
fo
eve yo e.
Someo e
might
g ow
up
somewhe e
that
actively
discou ages
questio i g
autho ity
of
a y
ki d.
Someo e
else
might
have
lived
th ough
eal
situatio s
whe e
thei
ow
ho est
opi io
was
epeatedly
dismissed
o
ig o ed
out ight.
Othe s
simply
wo y,
quietly
a d
co sta tly,
about
sayi g
the
w o g
thi g
at
the
w o g
mome t.
Expe ie ces
like
these
ca
g adually
make
stayi g
sile t
feel
ge ui ely
safe
tha
actually
speaki g
up.
Fi di g
you
voice,
i
the
e d,
eally
mea s
lea i g
to
move
past
that
accumulated
fea ,
a d
p ope ly
ecog isi g
that
you
ow
pe spective
ge ui ely
has
value
wo th
sha i g.

Why
havi g
a
eal
voice
is
about
fa
mo e
tha
simply
bei g
loud

Bei g
ge ui ely
hea d
was
eve
eally
about
speaki g
the
loudest
i
the
oom.
A
st o g,
eal
voice
ca
be
calm,
co side ed
a d
ge ui ely
thoughtful
just
as
easily
as
it
ca
be
fo ceful.
It
ca
mea
sayi g
o
clea ly,
aski g
a
ge ui ely
difficult
questio
obody
else
wa ts
to
ask,
sha i g
a
u popula
ho est
opi io ,
o
simply
speaki g
up
the
mome t
somethi g
feels
u fai
to
you.
Real
st e gth
comes
f om
a
ge ui e
willi g ess
to
exp ess
you self
ho estly,
ot
f om
domi ati g
eve y
si gle
co ve satio
you
happe
to
be
pa t
of.

Why
co fide ce
a d
havi g
a
eal
voice
a e
so
closely
co ected

Co fide ce
ce tai ly
makes
it
easie
to
commu icate
what
you
actually
wa t
a d
ge ui ely
believe.
Co fide ce
does
ot
always
have
to
a ive
fi st,
though,
howeve
much
it
might
feel
that
way
f om
the
outside.
Ve y
ofte
it
develops
p ecisely
because
someo e
begi s
usi g
thei
ow
voice
i
the
fi st
place,
howeve
te tatively
at
fi st.
The
ve y
fi st
time
someo e
speaks
up
i
a
ge ui ely
difficult
situatio
ca
feel
deeply
u comfo table.
The
ext
time,
though,
te ds
to
feel
just
slightly
easie
tha
the
last,
a d
those
small,
epeated
expe ie ces
g adually
build
i to
somethi g
close
to
eal,
lasti g
co fide ce
ove
time.

Why
wome
i
pa ticula
ca
face
additio al
ba ie s
he e

Gates’
quote
focuses
specifically
o
wome
a d
the
pa ticula
challe ges
ge ui ely
i volved
i
fi di g
thei
ow
voice.
Wome
ofte
face
eal
social
expectatio s
a ou d
exactly
how
they
should
behave,
commu icate
a d
espo d,
both
p ofessio ally
a d
pe so ally,
a d
bei g
asse tive
ca
sometimes
be
judged
ve y
diffe e tly
depe di g
e ti ely
o
who
happe s
to
be
speaki g
at
the
time.
That
c eates
a
ge ui ely
difficult
bala ce
betwee
wa ti g
to
exp ess
a
ho est
opi io
a d
wo yi g
co sta tly
about
how
that
opi io
will
actually
be
eceived
by
othe
people.
Recog isi g
these
eal
p essu es
ho estly
is
pa t
of
u de sta di g
exactly
why
fi di g
o e’s
ow
voice
ca
ge ui ely
take
so
lo g
fo
so
ma y
wome .

Why
speaki g
up
ca
ge ui ely
c eate
eal
cha ge

A
voice
becomes
pa ticula ly
powe ful
the
mome t
it
gets
used
to
d aw
eal
atte tio
to
somethi g
that
ge ui ely
eeds
to
cha ge.
Speaki g
ho estly
about
a
u fai
expe ie ce
ca
e cou age
othe
people
to
fi ally
sha e
thei
ow .
Raisi g
a
ge ui e
co ce
at
wo k
ca
lead
di ectly
to
a
bette
p ocess
fo
eve yo e
i volved.
O e
pe so ‘s
simple
willi g ess
to
speak
up
ca
sometimes
make
it
co side ably
easie
fo
othe
people
a ou d
them
to
fi ally
do
the
same.

Why
fi di g
you
voice
eve
actually
equi es
havi g
eve y
a swe

People
sometimes
stay
sile t
because
they
w o gly
believe
they
eed
to
be
completely
ce tai
about
somethi g
befo e
they
a e
allowed
to
speak
at
all.
Exp essi g
a
ge ui e
opi io
has
eve
actually
equi ed
pe fect
k owledge
though.
It
ca
be
as
simple
as
sayi g
“I
see
this
diffe e tly,”
o
“I
do ‘t
u de sta d,”
o
“I
thi k
the e
might
be
a othe
way.”
Aski g
a
ge ui e
questio ,
i
fact,
ca
ofte
be
just
as
powe ful
as
maki g
a
co fide t
stateme t
out ight.

Othe
famous
quotes
by
Meli da
F e ch
Gates

Why
this
quote
is
eleva t
today

Fi di g
you
ow
voice
emai s
o e
of
the
ge ui ely
impo ta t
steps
towa d
eal
co fide ce
a d
i depe de ce,
whethe
that
mea s
speaki g
up
i
a
meeti g,
challe gi g
a
assumptio
you
k ow
is
u fai ,
exp essi g
a
ge ui e
pe so al
bou da y,
o
simply
telli g
someo e
exactly
what
you
thi k.
That
whole
p ocess
ca
feel
ge ui ely
u comfo table,
especially
afte
yea s
spe t
quietly
wo yi g
about
how
othe
people
might
espo d.
Gates’
message
is
eally
a
emi de
that
st e gth
does
ot
always
have
to
begi
with
co fide ce
al eady
fully
fo med.
Sometimes
eal
co fide ce
o ly
begi s
the
mome t
you
decide
that
you
ow
voice
actually
dese ves
to
be
hea d
i
the
fi st
place.
Fi di g
that
voice
ca
ge ui ely
take
time,
but
o ce
you
actually
do,
it
has
a
way
of
quietly
cha gi g
both
how
you
see
you self,
a d
how
eve yo e
else
a ou d
you
sees
you
too.

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