Quotes & Sayings About Matriarchs

There is a predictable theme as to what upsets our matriarchs. Usually, matriarchs are known for their unified support. When it comes to kingdom matters, however, they are willing to drive out Abraham's son. (Ge 21:10) They are willing to reject Isaac's son. (Ge 27:6-13) In other words, they are not afraid to reject royalty ('shepherd-like acquaintances') to further God's kingdom goals. (Re 20:4-6)
pg 26 — Michael Ben Zehabe

In addition to being the most beautiful score I have ever sung, 'Piazza' gave me the opportunity to honor the matriarchs of my Southern family. — Victoria Clark

Being a woman in India is an altogether different experience. You can't always see the power women hold, but it is there, in the firm grasp of the matriarchs who still rule most families. It has not been easy for Sarla to navigate the female path: she has become a master traveler, but one with no pupil. She thought she might develop this relationship with one of her daughters-in-law, but the others, like Somer, didn't quite fill the role. And when they had babies, they relied on their own mothers, leaving her once again in the company of men. But now, Sarla muses as she glances at the clock, anticipating Krishnan's arrival, she will finally get her granddaughter. — Shilpi Somaya Gowda

I grew up with all mothers, all women. I come from a long line of matriarchs, very strong women. — Erykah Badu

While hereditary chiefs inhabit the apex of our traditional social systems, it would be a mistake to think they hold all the power. They aren't kings. They aren't dictators. They're answerable to their clans and their matriarchs. All decisions that affect our communities require lengthy, deliberate discussions and careful negotiation. — Eden Robinson

The most-honored ancestors of your matriarch besmirched the season of the orange blossom. — Nick Bakay

Elephant altruism on the Kenyan plains. With her tusks, Grace (right) lifted the fallen three-ton Eleanor to her feet, then tried to get her to walk by pushing her. But Eleanor fell again and eventually died, leaving Grace vocalizing with streaming temporal glands - a sign of deep distress. Being matriarchs of different herds, these two elephants were likely unrelated. — Frans De Waal

Images of African Americans as bad mothers, ineffective mothers, and matriarchs...conceal and justify the difficult conditions in which they work and raise children. But oddly enough, these same women, who are said to run amok in their own communities, are thought to be entirely competent at parenting the children of the elite-as mammies during slavery, as domestic workers during segregation, or as child care workers today. — Leith Mullings

The women in my family were hardworking matriarchs. But the stories I saw on TV and movies and even in many books said they were anomalies — Kameron Hurley

We come by aurora,
with a heavy and sovereign tread,
with the might of matriarchs to furnish our shoulders,
with the apricity of light to crown our heads — Michelle Franklin

When poachers target the matriarchs or older females - as they often do, because older elephants usually have larger tusks - they also destroy that lifetime of learning and knowledge. For an elephant family, the death of a matriarch must feel like losing an encyclopedia, or an entire library - and for us, the loss makes stopping the poaching even more urgent, if only to protect the experienced matriarchs, who keep their families out of harm's way. — Virginia Morell

When you're single, you're very independent. Very independent women raised me. We didn't have a lot of male figures as the head of our household, so I got, and took on, a lot of that strong spirit from the matriarchs in my family. — Tichina Arnold

As for wife beating, one survey found support for it from 62 percent of Indian village women themselves. And no group systematically abuses young women more cruelly than mothers-in-law, who serve as household matriarchs in much of the world and take charge of disciplining the younger women. — Nicholas D. Kristof

Barzel, what some believe is a combination of letters taken from the names of the matriarchs of Jacob's family, Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah. — Alice Hoffman