In the lives of great women, men can find inspiration and encouragement. Get in touch with your feminine side- and lead a richer, fuller life.

    Some have claimed that equality is a myth. “Men and women can’t do everything the other can do, so they’re not equal,” they claim. The problem with this argument is its misuse of the word equality, which doesn’t just mean ‘the same attributes’ but ‘the same measure’.

    Men can’t carry babies but they can make babies. Try doing one without the other and you’ll understand what is meant by ‘equality’. Everyone has something to teach everyone, if they’re willing to learn. Just as men have some things to teach women, so do women have a few things to teach men.

    Take a Stand

    In medieval England, the beautiful Lady Godiva took pity on the poor. She asked her husband to stop taxing his tenants.

    He laughed and said, “Sure, I’ll stop taxing them: when you ride through the streets naked.”

    Lady Godiva stripped, mounted a horse, and rode through the streets. The husband realized she meant what she said and lifted the oppressive taxes.

    Life is richer and fuller when it has a cause. However, any cause is meaningless unless you’re willing to ride naked on a horse for it.

    Listen to the Voices

    Joan of Arc was a 16-year-old peasant girl. She was working in a field when she heard the voice of God tell her that she was the savior of France. She put down her hoe and went to see the King. She led the French Army to victory again and again, finally, she was captured by the English and burnt as a witch.

    Today, Joan is the national heroine of France. Who cares if people thought she was crazy? She died for her country, listened to her heart, and gave her troops someone to look up to. Listen to the voice of reason in your head and don’t worry what others might think.

    Rescue Somebody

    Once, the abolitionist Harriet Tubman rescued a man named Charles Nalle from slavery. She literally wrenched him out of the arms of his master and delivered him to safety. Reading the story of Nalle’s rescue is like reading fiction- only it’s for real.

    Tubman could have stopped when she crossed the line to freedom. She didn’t. At constant risk to her own life, Tubman saved 300 people from lifelong servitude.

    The Knight in Shining Armor is not merely a myth that someone made up. It is an ideal every man can live up to.

    Set a Precedent

    There has never been an Oprah Winfrey until now. She is many firsts rolled into one. One day, she was watching her Grandmother wash rich white people’s clothes in a washtub. “Pay attention, Oprah Gail, you’ll have to do this someday,” her grandmother said. Little Oprah looked at her Grandmother and knew deep in her soul, that she would never be anybody’s washerwoman.

    You don’t have to fulfill anybody’s prophecy. Be your own man.

    Be Ladylike

    Ladies always dress appropriate to the occasion. Ladies don’t yell or lose their cool. A lady always knows when to leave and doesn’t tell everyone who will listen about her problems. A lady knows when to speak and when to listen. Ladies don’t get drunk. Ladies have good posture and ladies engage in charitable activities. A lady knows how to make the people around her feel honored. Ladies are not petty or catty.

    Gentlemen should be more ladylike.

    男人能在出色的女人的生活中找到靈感和鼓勵(lì)。發(fā)掘你身上女性化的一面吧,把生活過的更豐富,更完整。

    有人宣稱平等只是一個(gè)神話:“男人和女人不可能完全做到對(duì)方能做的事情,所以兩者間沒有平等性”。這句話是有問題的,“平等”不是這么評(píng)判的,平等不等于要“做出同樣的貢獻(xiàn)”,平等是“相同的衡量標(biāo)準(zhǔn)”。

    男人不能懷孕,但懷孕需要男人。如果你只靠自己試一試懷孕,你就會(huì)明白什么叫做“平等”。如果別人愿意學(xué)習(xí),每個(gè)人都有些可以教給別人的東西。男人可以成為女人的老師,同樣的,女人也有值得男人學(xué)習(xí)的地方。

    堅(jiān)定

    中世紀(jì)的英國(guó)有位美麗的女士:葛黛娃夫人。她同情窮人,于是她讓丈夫停止向租戶征稅。

    丈夫大笑,說:“只要你脫光了騎馬穿過大街,我就一定不征稅了。

    于是葛黛娃夫人脫掉了衣服,騎上馬,穿過了街道。她的丈夫意識(shí)到她是認(rèn)真的,于是不再壓迫人們收稅了。

    當(dāng)有目標(biāo)的時(shí)候,生命變得更加豐富,更為完整。然而,只有拿出和葛黛娃夫人行為一樣的勇氣,目標(biāo)才會(huì)有意義。

    傾聽

    16歲的圣女貞德是個(gè)討人喜歡的女孩子。有天當(dāng)她在農(nóng)間耕作的時(shí)候,她聽到上帝的聲音,上帝告訴她她是法國(guó)的救世主。她放下鋤頭,前去拜見皇帝。后來她帶領(lǐng)法國(guó)軍頂取得一次又一次的勝利,最后被英國(guó)俘虜,當(dāng)成女巫被燒死。

    如今貞德已成為法國(guó)的民族英雄。誰還在乎當(dāng)時(shí)人們認(rèn)為她是個(gè)瘋子了?她傾聽自己內(nèi)心的聲音,把軍隊(duì)交給了別人,然后為祖國(guó)而死。傾聽你腦子里的理性聲音,不要在意別人的眼光。

    勇于救援

    廢奴主義者哈麗雅特塔布曼曾使一名名叫查爾斯的人免受奴隸之災(zāi)。她幾乎是直接從查爾斯的主人手中救出查爾斯,把他送到安全的地方。讀哈麗雅特塔布曼的援救故事就像讀小說,只不過這是件真實(shí)發(fā)生的事情。

    塔布曼在沖過代表自由的界限之后本可以停止了,但她沒有。她冒著生命危險(xiǎn),救了300多人,使他們免受終生奴役。

    披著光輝盔甲的騎上并不是編造出來的神話。他是每個(gè)男人的理想境界。

    開創(chuàng)先例

    從前沒有象奧普拉那樣的人。她開創(chuàng)了許多先例。有一天,她看著她的祖母在洗衣池里為富有的白色人洗衣服。她祖母說:“留心點(diǎn),奧普拉蓋爾,有一天你也得做這些事。”小奧普拉看著她的祖母,靈魂深處她意識(shí)到,她不要成為別人的洗衣服。

    你不必履行任何人的預(yù)言。做你自己的人。

    學(xué)習(xí)淑女的態(tài)度

    在不同場(chǎng)合,淑女總是穿著得體。她們不會(huì)大聲說話,也不會(huì)失態(tài)。淑女總是知道什么時(shí)候該離開,不會(huì)和任何愿意傾聽她的人訴苦。淑女知道什么時(shí)候該開口說話,什么時(shí)候該傾聽。她們不會(huì)喝醉。她們儀態(tài)端莊,參加慈善活動(dòng)。知道如何讓她身邊的人感到驕傲。她們不唧唧歪歪,尖酸刻薄。