Quote #123426
I feel cheated never being able to know what it's like to get pregnant, carry a child and breastfeed.
Dustin Hoffman
About This Quote
This quote needs no introduction—at least for now. We're working on adding more context soon.
Interpretation
Taken at face value, the remark expresses a kind of envy or sense of loss at being excluded—by biology and social role—from the embodied experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. It can be read as an attempt to articulate admiration for the physical and emotional labor involved in reproduction, and a desire for fuller empathy with women’s experiences. At the same time, the phrasing (“feel cheated”) highlights how gendered embodiment can be framed as a deprivation as well as a privilege, inviting reflection on what kinds of experiences are culturally valorized and who is permitted to claim them.


