Quotes from Gina Barreca

To slur "feminism" into "humanism" is to usurp women's voices once again, to make the singular feminine into the so-called universal masculine.

Taking a lot of selfies doesn't mean you live an examined life.

Speaking up is important. Yet to speak up without listening is like banging pots and pans together: Even if it gets you attention, it's not going to get you respect.

Power is the ability to persuade stupid people to do intelligent things and intelligent people to do stupid things. This is why power is dangerous.

Patriotism is about a desire for progress, not a yearning for repetition.

Until we're pushing up daisies, it might be good to remind ourselves daily that everything's coming up roses — for me and for you.

In short, immaturity is spoiled. And what is spoiled doesn't ripen. It goes bad early, gets bitter and withers on the vine.

More than anything else, I wanted not to be alone — yet all my actions guaranteed I'd be lonely. Like wearing a vest of explosives when you're coming in for a hug, insatiable need is a form of sabotage.

Writers read. Writers read promiscuously, aggressively and relentlessly.

Maturity understands that there's darkness in the world but that there's no need to dwell in it: we can lighten up and offer illumination to others.

Never use the passive voice. Do not say, 'It will get done.' Say, 'I'll do it,' and then stick to a solid, unwavering deadline

We all enter this world crying. Laughter is something we have to learn

This year's vintage is best enjoyed this year. Let's begin.

Want to guess what comes up when I Google "Woman discovers"? It's not "new galaxy." It's "a body in her trunk" or the unthinkable in her attic." According to my computer search, other big discoveries by women include "her co-worker is her birth mom," "a Renaissance painting in her kitchen," and "her new home was once a meth lab." Hey, at least that one contains the word "lab.

Make your own choices before anyone else makes them for you and way before the house lights are lowered.

Of course, motivating yourself has little to do with energy — and everything to do with decisions. Choosing to do something, especially if it seems difficult, might be hard. You need to decide whether the task is worth the effort.

From age sixteen to age twenty, a woman's body is a temple. From twenty-one to forty-five, it's an amusement park. From forty-five on, it's a terrarium.

It's only when you're at the bottom of the ladder that you ascend.

Since little-girlhood, we're trained to find the Big Bad Wolf seductive.

But if you believe that your best years are behind you, you've guaranteed they are; I'm going to dance into that good night, with the oldies turned up loud.

Laughing together is as close as you can get to a hug without touching.

We should remind ourselves that laughing together is as close as you can get to another person without touching, and sometimes it represents a closer tie than touching ever could.

If you believe that your best years are behind you, you've guaranteed they are; I'm going to dance into that good night, with the oldies turned up loud.

It's not that diamonds are a girl's best friend, but it's your best friends who are your diamonds. It's your best friends who are supremely resilient, made under pressure and of astonishing value. They're everlasting; they can cut glass if they need to.