Wala

“We weren’t born distrusting and fearing ourselves. That was part of our taming. We were taught to believe that who we are in our natural state is bad and dangerous. They convinced us to be afraid of ourselves. So we do not honor our own bodies, curiosity, hunger, judgment, experience, or ambition. Instead, we lock away our true selves. Women who are best at this disappearing act earn the highest praise: She is so selfless. Can you imagine? The epitome of womanhood is to lose one’s self completely. That is the end goal of every patriarchal culture. Because a very effective way to control women is to convince women to control themselves.”
― Glennon Doyle, Untamed

“If so few female geniuses are found in history, it is because society denies them any means of expression.”
― Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex

“وما لم ينهض عقل إصلاحي إنساني قمين بأن يزيل عن عيون المسلمين غشاوة القناعة بما يلفّقه أصحاب الأيديولوجيات التي تصادر الإنسان والحقيقة معاً، فسيظل من الصعب على المسلمين أن يقاوموا آلـة التدليج باسم الدين والتي لا تجد الإنسان الحر الذي يجرؤ على أن يقف سداً في وجهها محاولاً انتشال نفسه أولاً من الاستغلال في معتركات السياسة.”
― محمد شحرور, ‫القصص القرآني: الجزء الأول، مدخل إلى القصص وقصّة آدم‬

“To be scientifically illiterate is to remain essentially uncultured. And the chief virtue of a cultural activity--be it art, music, literature, or science--is the way it enriches our lives.”
― Lawrence M. Krauss