"Be kind."As if this hasn't been a necessary part of most (not all-and not based on color alone) women's survival toolkit since the beginning
“Be kind.”
As if this hasn’t been a necessary part of most (not all-and not based on color alone) women’s survival toolkit since the beginning of time.
The world has always liked women who are agreeable. Women who nod along. Women who don’t raise questions. Women who smile politely, even when something deep inside is unsettled.
And yes, the world rewards this. Agreeable women are often praised as “easy to get along with,” “cooperative,” and “pleasant.” They may be promoted, invited, or accepted in spaces where women who resist are pushed out.
There’s nothing wrong with being agreeable—if that is truly who you want to be.
The Right to Choose
Our foremothers fought, prayed, and bled for the right of women to make our own choices. To choose our words. To choose our work. To choose our faith, our beliefs, our partners, our lives.
But here’s the truth we don’t say enough: not choosing is a choice too.
- Choosing to silence yourself when something feels wrong is still a choice.
- Choosing to go along with the crowd, even when it dishonors you, is still a choice.
- Choosing safety, survival, or ease over truth—these are choices, too.
Beyond Groupthink
Groupthink can feel safer. There’s comfort in numbers. There’s protection in blending in. But history has taught us that women who choose to think, speak, and live beyond the crowd have changed the world.
- They were called “difficult.”
- They were dismissed as “bitter.”
- They were shamed for being “too much.”
And still, they opened doors that generations now walk through.
An Invitation to Reflection
The world will always have a place for agreeable women. But ask yourself: Is that place yours?
Do you want your legacy to be agreement—or authenticity? To be acceptance—or freedom?
Whatever you choose, let it be your choice. That’s what our foremothers dreamed of for us: not one path, but the power to decide for ourselves.