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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Miami (OH) chapter.

There’s nothing like a witty comeback or classy, sassy, bad-assy woman sure of herself and all that she is worth. So, I found the intersection of the two: snarky quotes from feminist icons. Admittedly, these aren’t all the most polite or appropriate, but they are all worth either cringing or laughing at. 

 

“I myself have never able to find out precisely what a feminist is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.” 

-Rebecca West

 

“I get paid a lot of money giving advice that I gave for free when they didn’t want to know.”

-Linda Bellos

 

“The most unpardonable sin in society is independence of thought.”

-Emma Goldman

 

“I want a Zero Tolerance policy on All The Patriarchal Bullshit.”

-Caitlin Moran

 

“The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off.”

-Gloria Steinem

 

Somehow, I get the impression that Ms. Steinem is speaking from experience.

 

“A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.”

― Irina Dunn

 

This is probably my favorite sassy feminist quote, simply because it is such a bizarre comparison that it catches people’s attention, but at the same time it is so effective in describing Ms. Dunn’s opinion on the necessity of men in women’s lives. Do fish sometimes want bicycles? I don’t know, maybe. But do they need them? Nope. 

 

“When a man gives his opinion, he’s a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she’s a bitch.”

― Bette Davis

 

Bette Davis over here isn’t afraid to call out all those people that can’t handle women speaking their minds.

 

“Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings.”

― Cheris Kramarae

 

Honestly, this wouldn’t be nearly as funny if not for the ironic description of feminism as a “radical notion,” as if women being human beings is a completely unexpected turn of events in society. I like to imagine Ms. Kramarae shouting, “Plot twist!” at the end of this quote.

 

“As long as she thinks of a man, nobody objects to a woman thinking.”

― Virginia Woolf, Orlando

 

Oof. Just… oof. 

 

And finally, a gentle reminder from Madeleine Albright:

 

“There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”

― Madeleine Albright

 

Sources:

<%C2%A0″>https://www.stylist.co.uk/people/50-feminist-icons/18037> 

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