Words to Live By: Never Give Up

Words to Live By: Never Give Up

Posted to House Bloggers by Joy Rose on Tue, 02/24/2009 - 2:50pm

Standing on the podium at the National Arts and Club with a microphone in hand, I stumbled, trying to remember Susan B. Anthony’s famous words, "Failure is impossible." What came out instead was, “Never give up.”

Other Susan B. Anthony Award recipients took turns giving speeches and receiving their awards. I’ve never really been one for giving or getting prizes, but as I write this, the night after the Oscars and almost a week after the NOW-NYC gathering, I realize how important it is to be recognized by your peers.

My plaque sits on the piano, and somehow makes tangible all the hours, days and years I’ve spent speaking with women. Listening to their struggles and brainstorming ways to make marriages, divorces, careers, families, and personal passions less of a struggle and more of a joy.

Empowering women to find their voice is what really gets me going, and I honestly believe the breakdown of American marriage is one of the more obvious signposts for how much work American women still have to do to change limiting behavior in their personal lives and homes.

In a world where woman are still victims of violence, like the story of Aasiya Hassan, who was beheaded trying to divorce her husband,  should be able to live a life free of domestic cruelty, be economically educated and equal in marriage and be free to pursue individual passions that empower and enliven her. We need to stand tall, take stock, and convince ourselves that indeed, as Susan B. Anthony stated, “Failure is impossible.”