One distressing thing is the way men react to women who assert their equality: their ultimate weapon is to call them unfeminine. They think she is anti-male; they even whisper that she's probably a lesbian.

As there were no black Founding Fathers, there were no founding mothers - a great pity, on both counts.

I’d like them to say that Shirley Chisholm had guts. That’s how I’d like to be remembered.

There is little place in the political scheme of things for an independent, creative personality, for a fighter. Anyone who takes that role must pay a price.

Tremendous amounts of talent are lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt.

Some fine men are in Congress, too few, trying to do a responsible job. But they are surrounded and almost neutralized by a greater number whose instinct is to make a deal before they make a decision.

I ran for the presidency, despite hopeless odds, to demonstrate the sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo.