Quotes from Rachel Simmons

When I was 24, I won a Rhodes Scholarship.

Knowing that your parents are okay makes you feel secure in the world.

Parents are teachers as much as caregivers, and our children learn to navigate life's challenges by watching us. Kids can get a road map for how to handle painful emotions.

Sadness, irritability, fatigue, and distractedness are among the most common side effects of grief while parenting.

Sometimes true girl power means accepting that we are actually vulnerable and even powerless - then figuring out how to adapt and have our needs met in other ways.

Most of us are destined to be unhappy if we can't accept that we will have moments - or a waist size - that don't match our perfect vision of how things should be.

If smart phones had been around for women in the 1950s, 'The Feminine Mystique' might never have been written. The depression and ennui of housewives would have been blunted by Pinterest and Facebook.

When kindness comes at the expense of truth, it is not a kindness worth having.

There is no gesture more devastating than the back turning away.

Many of the most accomplished girls are disconnecting from the truest parts of themselves, sacrificing essential self-knowledge to the pressure of who they think they ought to be.

When kindness comes at the expense of truth, it is not a kindness worth having. And when generosity leads to silence or abuse, it is not a generosity worth giving.

Hurt me once, shame on you; hurt me twice, shame on me.

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people stay for a while, and give us a deeper understanding of what is truly important in this life. They touch our souls. We gain strength from the footprints they have left on our hearts, and we will never EVER be the same.

Girls like Caroline and Lily are constantly performing, as much for the Good Girl they think they should be as for the adults and peers who look on. They have spent their lives growing internally dependent on external rewards: pats on the back A's, club presidencies, Most Valuable Player trophies. They become more concerned with how they appear and should be than who they are What other think and feel replaces what is true for them.

Be yourself and you will find, who minds doesn't matter and who matters won't mind.

Girls may try to avoid being alone at all costs, including remaining in an abusive friendship.

Parents are satisfied only if their children are gifted or exceptional (or diagnosed with a treatable problem that the right pill cocktail can restore to excellence).

When we invest ourselves in worrying about what other people think, we lose touch with what we stand for. By seeking others' approval and trying to be perfect at everything we do, we disconnect from our internal compass.

Perceiving a choice between her feelings and her relationships, Dana chose to be liked by others. But the self she displayed was a mask of the person she though others wanted her to be. The Curse of the Good Girl obscured and shamed the most important parts of who she was.

What do I mean by this? The fear of being called "all that" and the demonization of girls who appear assertive or self-satisfied force underground the very behaviors girls need to become successful. Confidence and competition are critical tools for success, yet they break the rules of femininity. Openly competitive behavior undermines the "good girl" personality.

Theodore Roosevelt's quote: "Comparison is the thief of joy.

Many teachers, especially those in more affluent communities, believe they are treated no better than a customer-service representative at a store.

Leaning to your true feelings isn't something you're born knowing how to do. It requires practice. The great news is that these skills are like muscles, the more you use them, the stronger they get. ... And trust me, the more you listen, the louder that voice will get.

Adolescents, especially girls, are most resilient when they are connected to others.