Power can be taken, but not given. The process of the taking is empowerment in itself.

Steinem’s line distinguishes between authority bestowed from above and power claimed through collective or personal action. It suggests that genuine empowerment is not a gift conferred by institutions, leaders, or benevolent allies; it is created when people assert agency—organizing, refusing, demanding, and building alternatives. The “process of the taking” matters as much as the outcome: struggling for rights, voice, and autonomy develops skills, solidarity, and self-trust that cannot be handed over ready-made. In feminist terms, the quote critiques paternalistic “permission” and emphasizes self-determination, implying that liberation is enacted rather than granted.