Musing about quotes

On Thursday, I wrote about Isabel Allede's book The Soul of a Woman, HERE.  I'm still musing about the words I bookmarked:

Page 102

In the past, adulthood arrived at twenty, middle age at forty, and old age at fifty.  Today adolescence lasts until past thirty or forty, maturity comes around sixty, and old age starts at eighty.  This is the baby boomers' achievement.

Page 107

I would like to have Sophia Loren's full breasts and long legs, but if given a choice, I prefer the gifts of several good witches I know:  purpose, compassion, and good humor.  (*Note:  I especially like compassion being in the list.)

 Page 111

The key to contentment is forgiveness of others and of ourselves.

 Page 123

Grace is in a residence for older people because she needs assistance; she is by far the youngest person there.  The help she gets is not much, just five minutes in the morning to dress her, five minutes in the evening to put her to bed, and two showers a week.  For her, the greatest pleasure is that shower.  She says that every drop of water on her skin is a blessing; she enjoys the soap and shampoo foam in her hair.  I often think of Grace when I shower; I don't want to take that privilege for granted.

Page 130

This is what women want:  to be safe, to be valued, to live in peace, to have their own resources, to be connected, to have control over their bodies and lives, and above all, to be loved.

 Pages 164-165

There's a difference between immigrants and refugees.  The former decide to move somewhere else to improve their lives.  They are usually young and healthy (the elderly stay behind), they try to adapt as soon as possible, they look to the future, and they want to plant roots in the new place.  The latter are running for their lives; they are escaping military conflict, persecution, crime, and extreme poverty.  Refugees are desperate, they have had to leave behind everything that is familiar to them and seek asylum in another country where they are likely to confront hostility.  Helf of the seventy million refugees in 2018 were women and children, a figure that has been increasing yearly.

Pages 167-168 

In less developed regions, mothers typically spend their income on the family, while men spend on themselves, either for entertainment or for something that gives them status, like a cellphone or a bike.

Page 208

We have a lot of work to do ... First of all, we need to end the patriarchy, an ancient institution that exalts masculine values (and flaws) and represses the famale half of humanity.  We have to question everything, from religion and laws to science and cultural mores.  We are going to get really angry, so angry that our fury will smash the foundations that support this civilization.  Docility, praisedd as a feminine virtue, is our worst enemy; it has never served us well, it is only convenient for men.