More from Abby Wambach

If I could go back and tell my younger self one thing it would be this: Abby, you were never Little Red Riding Hood. You were always the wolf.

AW

Abby Wambach

Barnard College Commencement 2018, 2018

6:19

Video starts at 6:19 — the moment this quote was spoken

The Story Behind This Quote

Wambach built her entire speech around the metaphor of the wolf, drawing from the true story of wolves being reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. The wolves — feared as a threat to the system — actually saved it, transforming the ecosystem so dramatically that even the rivers changed course. Like Little Red Riding Hood, Wambach had spent her career staying on the path, keeping her head down, following instructions out of fear of being cut or losing her paycheck. Her revelation: women aren't the ones in danger from the wolves. Women ARE the wolves.

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