Without women to nurture in this world, how do - how do men get

Hear the words of Raquel Welch, spoken not with vanity but with reverence for the eternal feminine: “Without women to nurture in this world, how do—how do men get by? How do children get by? How does society get by at all?” This cry is not mere sentiment, but a recognition of the foundation upon which life itself is built. For though men may labor and children may dream, it is the presence of women—as mothers, as daughters, as companions, as healers—whose nurture sustains the fragile flame of civilization. Without this strength wrapped in tenderness, the world would wither.

The origin of this saying rests in Welch’s reflections on womanhood, beauty, and identity. Though she was celebrated as a star of the screen, she often sought to lift the conversation beyond appearances, pointing instead to the deeper role of women in the shaping of human destiny. Her words are not confined to the household, but speak to the very survival of society. To ask, “how does society get by at all?” is to remind us that nurturing—the giving of care, love, and stability—is as vital to nations as armies, laws, or wealth.

Consider, O listener, the ancient tale of Sparta. Though its men were famed as warriors, it was the women who gave the city its strength. Spartan mothers, stern yet nurturing, raised their sons not only with milk but with iron will. They said to their sons, “Come back with your shield, or on it.” In this fierce nurturing lay the spirit of the state. Without those women, even Sparta’s armies would have crumbled. Nurture, whether tender or stern, is the soil in which societies grow.

Another lesson shines from the life of Florence Nightingale. When the Crimean War left soldiers broken, diseased, and dying, it was her nurturing hand that transformed their fate. Through compassion joined with discipline, she halved the mortality rate of the wounded. Yet her work did not stop with the battlefield; she redefined modern nursing, giving rise to a profession that sustains countless lives even today. Here we see Welch’s words made flesh: without women to nurture, both men and children falter, and society itself stumbles into decay.

The power of this quote lies also in its reminder that nurturing is not weakness, but strength. To nurture is to sustain life, to heal wounds, to guard the vulnerable, and to lift others into their fullest selves. Warriors may defend the walls, but nurturers ensure there is something within the walls worth defending. The hand that rocks the cradle, the hand that comforts the broken, the hand that teaches the child—these hands shape the future more powerfully than scepters or swords.

The lesson, therefore, is clear: never belittle the act of nurturing, nor confine it to the shadows. Men and women alike must honor and uplift it, for in its absence, communities rot from within. To neglect nurturing is to neglect life itself. Welch’s question—“how does society get by at all?”—must awaken in us gratitude, reverence, and responsibility. Let every person ask: who nurtured me, and how shall I pass on that gift?

And what actions, then, should we take? First, give honor to the women who nurture—in families, in schools, in hospitals, in every hidden corner of the world. Speak gratitude while they live, not only when they are gone. Second, practice nurturing yourself; though Welch speaks of women, the call extends to all. Let each human being take part in sustaining, comforting, and guiding others. Third, build societies that value compassion as highly as profit, tenderness as highly as power. For when nurturing is neglected, society becomes a barren husk, but when it is cherished, the world blooms with life.