Quote by Elizabeth Blackwell: “We have no right to expect any change in the conditions of women unless we make the change ourselves.”

Blackwell argues that women cannot passively wait for improvements in their status; they must actively initiate and drive those changes themselves. This emphasizes the importance of self-reliance and collective action for social reform, empowering women to be agents of their own destiny.

Writing at a time when women's rights movements were gaining momentum but still faced immense societal resistance, Blackwell's call to action underscored the necessity of women's own agency. She believed reform must be internally driven, not merely granted by others.

British-American physician who became the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, graduating from Geneva Medical College in 1849. She co-founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children and was a pioneering advocate for women in medicine.