"But when you look at yourself in the mirror, I hope you see yourself. Not one of the myths. Not a failed man - a person who can never succeed because success is basically defined as being male - and not a failed goddess, a person desperately trying to hide herself in the dummy Woman, the image of men’s desires and fears. I hope you look away from those myths and into your own eyes, and see your own strength. You’re going to need it. I hope you don’t try to take your strength from men, or from a man. Secondhand experience breaks down a block from the car lot. I hope you’ll take and make your own soul; that you’ll feel your life for yourself pain by pain and joy by joy; that you’ll feed your life, eat, “eat as you go” - you who nourish, be nourished! If being a cog in the machine or a puppet manipulated by others isn’t what you want, you can find out what you want, your needs, desires, truths, powers, by accepting your own experience as a woman, as this woman, this body, this person, your hungry self. On the maps drawn by men there is an immense white area, terra incognita, where most women live. That country is all yours to explore, to inhabit, to describe."

"He went on to say, “Lesbians? Of course, I’m totally down with that,” with a half smile that suggested I was supposed to think what he was saying was funny. As a punchline of a joke, that only makes sense if you think that we have some common bond over the fact that we both think lesbians are hot. This is not something I ever want to bond with a straight guy about; my sexual identity and you getting off have nothing to do with each other and the implication that you get some pleasure from it is gross, inappropriate and bordering on harassment."