No self-respecting woman should wish or work for the success of

The great reformer Susan B. Anthony spoke with the voice of thunder when she declared: “No self-respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party who ignores her sex.” These words were not whispered in comfort, but proclaimed in defiance during a time when women were denied both voice and vote. They are the cry of dignity, the call of justice, the reminder that no true loyalty can be given to those who refuse to see your humanity.

To be a self-respecting woman in Anthony’s age was an act of rebellion. Society told women to bow their heads, to accept silence, to labor without recognition. Yet Anthony lifted her voice, declaring that respect for oneself demands resistance against injustice. Her words remind us that respect begins not in the eyes of others, but in the soul’s refusal to submit to degradation. A woman who respects herself cannot and must not lend her strength to those who trample her worth.

The party of which she spoke was not a single faction, but all political powers that denied women the right to vote, the right to equality, the right to be counted. In the 19th century, political leaders gladly accepted women’s labor in homes, schools, and factories, yet ignored their voices in government. Anthony unmasked this hypocrisy, proclaiming that no just cause could be truly just if it silenced half of humanity. Her cry was both warning and prophecy: no movement can endure if it excludes the strength of women.

History offers a vivid example in the long struggle for women’s suffrage. For decades, Anthony and her sisters marched, petitioned, and endured mockery. They were arrested, fined, and scorned. Yet they persevered. When Anthony herself was tried for voting in 1872, she stood before the court and declared, “Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.” Her courage revealed that true self-respect requires sacrifice, and that dignity is worth more than comfort or approval.

Even beyond her own time, Anthony’s words ring true. Consider the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. African American leaders and their allies refused to support institutions that denied their dignity. They, too, understood Anthony’s wisdom: that no self-respecting person can work for the success of a system that ignores or oppresses them. Injustice may demand obedience, but respect demands resistance. And through perseverance, the oppressed became architects of change.

The lesson is clear: never lend your strength to those who deny your worth. Whether in politics, work, or daily life, do not aid structures that profit from your silence. To do so is to betray not only yourself but the generations who will follow. True loyalty belongs only to those who honor your dignity. To stand with those who scorn you is to abandon your own soul.

So, O children of tomorrow, take this teaching into your lives. If you would respect yourself, demand respect from the world. Support causes, leaders, and movements that honor the equality of all. And if any institution ignores your worth, withdraw your loyalty and raise your voice. For Anthony’s cry still lives: justice is not given—it is won.

Thus remember always: self-respect and justice walk hand in hand. A woman—or any soul—who respects themselves will never bow to a power that denies their humanity. Follow this law, and you will not only preserve your own dignity, but kindle a fire of freedom for all who come after you.