Too often the great decisions are originated and given form in

Hear the noble voice of Eleanor Roosevelt, a woman of courage and conscience, who declared: “Too often the great decisions are originated and given form in bodies made up wholly of men, or so completely dominated by them that whatever of special value women have to offer is shunted aside without expression.” These words, spoken with both sorrow and resolve, reveal the deep wound of human history: that the voices of women, half of humankind, have too often been silenced in the councils where destiny is shaped. In them lies a call, not only for justice, but for wisdom—for a world that will never be whole until the wisdom of women is honored as equal to that of men.

The origin of this truth lies in Eleanor’s own life. As First Lady of the United States and later as a diplomat at the United Nations, she saw with her own eyes how governments, parliaments, and assemblies were dominated almost entirely by men. She knew that policies affecting homes, children, education, peace, and welfare—matters where women’s lived experience was invaluable—were decided without women’s participation. The result was imbalance: decisions made with power but without compassion, with strength but without care, with calculation but without the tempering of human understanding.

Consider, O listener, the story of the League of Nations after the First World War. The victors gathered to design a new world order, yet the tables of negotiation were crowded with men alone. Women, who had endured the war as nurses, mothers, workers, and keepers of broken homes, were almost entirely excluded from shaping the peace. Their wisdom—the knowledge of suffering, the longing for stability, the practical insight into the needs of families—was ignored. The peace thus crafted was brittle, lacking the fullness of human perspective, and within decades it shattered into a second global war.

But contrast this with Eleanor Roosevelt’s leadership in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. As chair of the drafting committee, she insisted that the rights enumerated must apply equally to women and men, to every race and every people. Her presence, and the presence of other women delegates, ensured that the declaration was not only a legal document, but also a moral one—one that spoke of dignity, equality, and freedom for all. This stands as proof of her own words: when women are allowed to bring their special value to the table, decisions gain breadth, depth, and humanity.

Her words also carry a warning: when women’s voices are shunted aside, society loses not only fairness but wisdom itself. The world becomes unbalanced, guided only by half its strength, half its vision. Just as a bird cannot fly with one wing, so too can a nation not soar when only men decide its course. The struggles of women to be included in governance—through suffrage, through civil rights movements, through demands for representation—have always been about more than fairness. They are about survival, about the need for balance in the councils where life and death are decided.

O seeker, the lesson is this: do not mistake exclusion for strength. A body that ignores women’s voices cripples itself. True power arises not from domination but from inclusion, not from silencing but from listening. To hear women is not to weaken decision-making, but to strengthen it, for it brings forth the wisdom of those who have known endurance, compassion, and resilience in ways that men alone cannot.

And what actions must we take? Demand that women sit in every council where decisions are made—in governments, in schools, in workplaces, in homes. Do not be content with token presence, but insist on genuine participation. Teach children that leadership belongs not to one gender but to all, and that strength is fullest when shared. In your own life, honor the voices of women: seek their counsel, heed their wisdom, and never allow them to be silenced by tradition or arrogance.

Thus remember the words of Eleanor Roosevelt: great decisions must not be made by men alone. If the world is to endure, if peace is to last, if justice is to prevail, then women must be fully present in shaping its destiny. Only then shall humanity walk with both feet, work with both hands, and rise on both wings toward the future it deserves.