Advice to Young Girls

You Have a Voice

"When I worked with students in high schools, I advised them to learn to argue well and not be afraid of confrontations, not be afraid to disagree. If some guy or teacher is not treating you well, you have a right to speak up! You don’t have to lock it away. You don't have to pretend it doesn’t hurt. But you have to speak up in a way that is powerful. Write it down, practice, rehearse your lines if you need to, but please say something! Because if you don't, twenty years later you will still be thinking about it: 'Well, I should have said this to him.' I think we all have those experiences, and hopefully we have less of them now." — Loung Ung

Excerpted from the book Daring to Be Ourselves: Influential Women Share Insights on Courage, Happiness and Finding Your Own Voice by Marianne Schnall. Copyright © 2010. Excerpted with permission from Blue Mountain Arts.