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Manal Al-Sharif Quotes

Powerful Manal Al-Sharif for Daily Growth

About Manal Al-Sharif

Manal Al-Sharif is a courageous Saudi Arabian women's rights activist, blogger, and award-winning author, renowned for her role in advocating for women's driving rights in the conservative Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Born on August 24, 1983, in Abha, a city located in southwestern Saudi Arabia, Manal grew up in a traditional Muslim household with modest means. Her father, a civil engineer, and her mother, a school teacher, instilled in their children the values of education, independence, and empathy for others. In 2008, Al-Sharif moved to Riyadh to work as an IT specialist, and it was there that she experienced firsthand the gender segregation and discrimination prevalent in Saudi society. This prompted her to start a blog, "Women2Drive," where she chronicled her life, experiences, and the struggles of women in Saudi Arabia. On June 17, 2011, Al-Sharif took the wheel of a car and drove in Riyadh, becoming one of the first known Saudi women to do so publicly. She was arrested for breaking the law but her defiant act ignited an international outcry and drew attention to the ongoing campaign for women's driving rights. Al-Sharif's memoir, "Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman's Awakening," published in 2018, offers a powerful account of her personal journey, the campaign for women's driving rights, and the struggles of women in Saudi Arabia seeking freedom and equality. The book was shortlisted for the RAKBA International Prize for Arabic Fiction and won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. Manal Al-Sharif continues to advocate for women's rights in Saudi Arabia and around the world, using her powerful voice to inspire change and challenge gender norms. Her story serves as a beacon of hope and resilience for those seeking justice and equality.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Silence is often a woman's best weapon, but mine has always been my voice."

This quote emphasizes the power of speech and self-expression for women, particularly in traditional or oppressive societies. The phrase "silence is often a woman's best weapon" implies that women are often taught to remain silent as a means of safety or compliance with societal norms. However, Manal Al-Sharif challenges this notion by choosing to use her voice instead, emphasizing the importance and empowerment that comes from expressing one's thoughts and beliefs openly. By using her voice, she is able to bring attention to issues affecting women and work towards change, demonstrating that silence is not always a woman's best weapon – her voice can be even more powerful.

"If we all take a stand for our rights and refuse to be silenced, no power on earth can stop us."

The quote expresses the empowering concept that when individuals unite in asserting their rights and speaking up against oppression or injustice, they collectively gain an unstoppable force capable of overcoming any external power trying to suppress them. It emphasizes personal courage and solidarity as a means to effect change and achieve equality.

"Change begins with one person taking action and standing up for what they believe in."

This quote by Manal Al-Sharif emphasizes the pivotal role that individual actions play in initiating change. By standing firm on their convictions, an individual can serve as a catalyst for positive transformation. The message underscores the idea that every person possesses the power to make a difference in their own life and the world around them, provided they take the first step. It highlights the notion that the journey of change begins with one courageous act, inspiring others to follow suit.

"Women's empowerment is not just about breaking free from traditional roles; it's also about having the freedom to choose them."

This quote by Manal Al-Sharif underscores that women's liberation transcends simply escaping conventional gender norms, but instead encompasses the power to make informed choices about their roles in life. It emphasizes the importance of individual agency and autonomy for women to decide not only whether to break free from traditional roles, but also to embrace them willingly and without coercion. This perspective promotes a more nuanced understanding of women's empowerment, recognizing that every woman's journey is unique, and their choices should reflect their own aspirations, values, and circumstances.

"I refuse to be a victim, I am a warrior fighting for justice."

This quote, by Manal Al-Sharif, underscores her determination to defy the role of a passive victim in the face of injustice. Instead, she chooses to actively resist and fight for equality, using her strength and resilience as a warrior. It signifies an empowering mindset that challenges adversity with courage, assertiveness, and a commitment to justice.

My mother gave birth to me on the floor of our apartment in Mecca with only my toddler sister to help her because my father was at work and no male guardian was available to take her to a hospital.

- Manal al-Sharif

Work, Father, Available, Mecca

I'm just a human being who would not accept being wronged.

- Manal al-Sharif

Human Being, Being, Would, Wronged

I love my sons, I love my husband, and I love my country. But in kingdoms of men, there are few - if any - choices for women. Or the choices are such that there is no greater pain than having to choose.

- Manal al-Sharif

Love, Pain, Country, Kingdoms

I always say that countries that keep women in the backseat will always end up on the wrong side of history.

- Manal al-Sharif

Will, Always, Side, Backseat

In the Saudi system, women are considered inferior. No matter our age, we have male guardians. We must get permission from men to attend school, to work, to marry, to travel overseas - even to have basic medical procedures.

- Manal al-Sharif

Medical, Attend, Considered, Procedures

In Saudi Arabia, they always tell us we are queens. We are pistachios. You know the nut? Like something that is protected. So even if you have a very good education, restraints are put on women.

- Manal al-Sharif

Education, Tell, Very, Good Education

I went to a technology conference in Germany, and there were these beautiful, model-like women standing there in front of the products. I asked a question, and she had no clue what the product was. She had to call someone from the back to explain it to me. To me, that's using a woman as an object. To me, that's totally wrong.

- Manal al-Sharif

Woman, Conference, Explain, No Clue

My message to the world is to surrender your ego: try not to think that you are not as fortunate as some people or inferior or not as good as someone else.

- Manal al-Sharif

Think, Some, Inferior, Surrender

The bicycle freed 19th-century women from their homes and from their dependence on men. I hope that in Saudi Arabia, the car will do the same.

- Manal al-Sharif

Bicycle, Will, Freed, Dependence

Everything is possible; we just need to be hopeful and think of the world from a human perspective. The world is so small compared to the universe, so we shouldn't fight for petty things.

- Manal al-Sharif

Small, Think, Need, Petty

That is life for a Saudi woman: wherever we go, whatever we achieve, we are the property of a man.

- Manal al-Sharif

Woman, Go, Achieve, Wherever

We should not label people who speak up, because it should not be the exception - it should be the norm. When you see something wrong, you speak up.

- Manal al-Sharif

People, Exception, Label, Norm

Women's rights are nothing but a part of the bigger picture, which is human rights. Women are trusted with the lives of their kids, even serve as teachers and doctors, but they aren't trusted with their own lives.

- Manal al-Sharif

Bigger, Which, Lives, Human Rights

The Saudi ideal of a woman is a religious mother who rarely ventures out: She shouldn't work with men, she should be completely covered, and she shouldn't go out alone to run errands.

- Manal al-Sharif

Woman, Religious, Ideal, Ventures

I almost got kidnapped trying to find a taxi in the street. In Saudi Arabia, it's not normal for a woman to walk in the street alone, and I don't cover my face, so I am an open target.

- Manal al-Sharif

Woman, Got, Almost, Kidnapped

We won't stop until the first Saudi license is issued to a woman.

- Manal al-Sharif

Woman, Stop, Until, License

When women break that taboo and they're not afraid to drive that car by herself - that's it. Now she has the guts to speak up for herself and take action.

- Manal al-Sharif

She, Break, Taboo, Herself

All I did was ask for rights. I didn't attack anyone. I didn't harass anyone. I didn't oppose the system or the country or the authority. All I said is, 'Why can't I drive?'

- Manal al-Sharif

Country, Why, Harass, Oppose

When you see corruption, when you see injustice, you speak up. You don't just shut up and say it's none of my business.

- Manal al-Sharif

Business, Injustice, Shut, Corruption

Denying women the right to drive has imposed huge costs on Saudi citizens.

- Manal al-Sharif

Costs, Imposed, Denying, Saudi

For us, driving is not what we are looking for, but being in the driver's seat of our only destiny. That means ending guardianship in Saudi Arabia, which means recognizing women as full citizens.

- Manal al-Sharif

Destiny, Which, Means, Saudi

In May 2011, I drove a car in the city of Khobar, Saudi Arabia, to protest the kingdom's ban on women driving.

- Manal al-Sharif

City, May, Drove, Saudi

I realised it is impossible to live with the rules they give Saudi women. Just impossible. You trying to do everything by the book, but you can never stay pure.

- Manal al-Sharif

Book, Give, Realised, Saudi

My father's generation of Saudi men are more liberal than the men of my generation. But with women, it's the opposite.

- Manal al-Sharif

Father, Generation, More, Saudi

Women want to drive and they are taking actual steps towards that.

- Manal al-Sharif

Want, Actual, Towards, Steps

For me, driving - or the right to drive - is not only about moving from A to B; it's a way to emancipate women. It gives them so much liberty. It makes them independent.

- Manal al-Sharif

Independent, About, Makes, Emancipate

It took me a long, long time to break the chains that's inside me.

- Manal al-Sharif

Long Time, Break, Took, Chains

Women tell me they are different since 21 May - the day I was arrested - it's a positive change, they believe now.

- Manal al-Sharif

Change, Tell, May, Arrested

I measure the impact I make by how harsh the attacks are. The harsher the attacks, the better I am doing.

- Manal al-Sharif

Impact, Doing, Harsh, Attacks

I'm a normal woman, a normal person, and I just want to drive.

- Manal al-Sharif

Woman, Person, Normal, Normal Person

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