On my office wall at Central Michigan University, I have a poster entitled “Noted Women.” It contains a list of quotes from famous women from the arts, politics, and education. One thoughtful remark came from a successful entrepreneur from the world of cosmetics, Helena Rubinstein. Her dictum is below:
There are no ugly women. There are only lazy women.
While this quote may have had the self-serving benefit of helping Ms. Rubinstein sell more rouge or eyeliner, I believe that the wisdom underlying the quote is worth examining. One’s personal appearance may not be the most important aspect of one’s life, but I believe that it served to make a more basic point about the human condition.
Personally, I’ve never particularly liked the term “lazy.” It implies a permanent, immutable condition in much the same way that words such as “tall” or “short” might. We may say “I’m lazy” in the same way that we might report “I’m Italian” or “African-American.” They are conditions over which we have no control. Therefore, with due respect to Helena R., I’d like to substitute the word “inactive” for the word “lazy.”
Obviously, the cosmetics magnet was implying that, with some effort, any woman (or man?) can improve his/her appearance. But let’s take the principle and apply it to more meaningful areas of human endeavor. Suppose we apply the quote to knowledge or learning instead of appearance. The quote might look something like this:
There are no dumb or ignorant women (individuals). There are only those who do not choose to read or learn.
If the topic had to do with friendship and social contact, it might read:
There are no hermits or isolates. There are only those who do not extend themselves to others.
And so on. Clearly Ms. Rubinstein was commenting on the importance of effort in any area of human endeavor. To add to her wisdom, we might choose to frame the following:
There is no such thing as who I am. There is only who I choose to be.