Who said “Coming to terms with the rhythms of women's lives means coming to terms with life…”?

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Margaret Mead. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceMale and Female (1949)

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“Coming to terms with the rhythms of women's lives means coming to terms with life itself, accepting the imperatives of the body rather than the imperatives of an artificial, man-made, perhaps transcendentally beautiful civilization. Emphasis on the male work-rhythm is an emphasis on infinite possibilities; emphasis on the female rhythms is an emphasis on a defined pattern, on limitation.”
— Margaret Mead
VerifiedMale and Female (1949) · evidenceMen and Women

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Male and Female (1949).

APA

Mead, M. (n.d.). Coming to terms with the rhythms of women's lives means coming to terms with life itself, accepting the imperatives of the body rather than the imperatives of an artificial, man-made, perhaps transcendentally beautiful civilization. Emphasis on the male work-rhythm is an emphasis on infinite possibilities; emphasis on the female rhythms is an emphasis on a defined pattern, on limitation. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/23635-coming-to-terms-with-the-rhythms-of-womens/

MLA

Mead, Margaret. “Coming to terms with the rhythms of women's lives means coming to terms with life itself, accepting the imperatives of the body rather than the imperatives of an artificial, man-made, perhaps transcendentally beautiful civilization. Emphasis on the male work-rhythm is an emphasis on infinite possibilities; emphasis on the female rhythms is an emphasis on a defined pattern, on limitation.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/23635-coming-to-terms-with-the-rhythms-of-womens/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Mead, Margaret. “Coming to terms with the rhythms of women's lives means coming to terms with life itself, accepting the imperatives of the body rather than the imperatives of an artificial, man-made, perhaps transcendentally beautiful civilization. Emphasis on the male work-rhythm is an emphasis on infinite possibilities; emphasis on the female rhythms is an emphasis on a defined pattern, on limitation.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/23635-coming-to-terms-with-the-rhythms-of-womens/.

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More quotes by Margaret Mead

“Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to live all by itself in a box the way we do. With no relatives, no support, we've put it in an impossible situation.”
VerifiedCulture and Commitment : A Study of the Generation Gap (1970), p. 72 · evidenceDetails & citeFamily
“If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.”
VerifiedSex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies (1935) · evidenceDetails & citePurpose
“The institution of marriage in all societies is a pattern within which the strains put by civilization on males and females alike must be resolved, a pattern within which men must learn, in return for a variety of elaborate rewards, new forms in which sexual spontaneity is still possible, and women must learn to discipline their receptivity to a thousand other considerations.”
Verified"Male and Female" in Ladies' Home Journal, Vol. 66, (September 1949), p. 36 · evidenceDetails & citeMarriage
“When human beings have been fascinated by the contemplation of their own hearts, the more intricate biological pattern of the female has become a model for the artist, the mystic, and the saint. When mankind turns instead to what can be done, altered, built, invented, in the outer world, all natural properties of men, animals, or metals become handicaps to be altered rather than clues to be followed.”
VerifiedQuote magazine (15 June 1958) · evidenceDetails & citeBody
“We won't have a society if we destroy the environment.”
Ecology
“Sooner or later I'm going to die, but I'm not going to retire.”
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All 28 Margaret Mead quotes →