“Be brave and be fearless, and for God’s sake, stand up for yourself.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“The minute that you go to arbitration, it’s 100% confidential, so nobody ever hears about it.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I believe giving back is one of the greatest life lessons we can teach our children: that the world isn’t all about them and that, through our actions, people will really discover what kind of a person we truly are.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Even though we have laws against it and HR departments to handle it, a woman – especially if she is young and just starting out – can never be sure that reporting harassment won’t hurt her career.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“We need more women in higher roles, because the tone for sexual harassment would no doubt be different.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I’ve always been an incredibly strong person, and I’ve also been underestimated.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“When people watch me on TV, they see part of my life. I wanted to let them know the real me behind the scenes. The child who was a concert violinist from the age of six. The young woman who took on the challenge to compete in the Miss America pageant. The television journalist for twenty-five years.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Sometimes when women come forward about sexual harassment, they’re seen as a troublemaker.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Holding true to what you believe – even in a big city – is so important.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Once I turned 40, I stopped giving a rip about my detractors, the people who say nasty things. It’s more candid and honest than it would have been. I share my failures, which is important.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I do think we need to find common ground on some of these major issues facing our nation.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“All women deserve a dignified and respectful workplace in which talent, hard work and loyalty are recognized, revered, and rewarded.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“It’s so unbelievable that in 2017, almost every single woman has a story about sexual harassment.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I actually always say that I have a son and a daughter, but I work more for my son, because I want him to respect women when he gets into the real world like he respects his mom right now.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Trust is the most important aspect of being a journalist. If people don’t trust or find you relatable – you will not have success.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“To this day, I have an open door policy. I seek out interns and young women and try to help them. Women mentors were important to me, and I want to do that for others.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“In our society, people look at women who are tenacious, smart, attractive, and talented and for whatever reason say, ‘There must be something wrong with that equation. She couldn’t possibly be all of those things at once.’”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I’m ready to move on to the next chapter of my life in which I will redouble my efforts to empower women in the workplace.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Nothing was ever handed to me. My hope is that when people read my story, it will inspire them to reach for their goals and not give up. The real story is this: if I can do it, you can, too.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“My grandfather was the minister at the Lutheran church. My dad owned a car dealership in town. My mom was the consummate volunteer and cheerleader for me.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I grew up thinking that I could be anything I wanted to be in this world because my mom told me that every single night.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I wanted to play the piano.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Becoming Miss America was one of those things. It immediately changed what I thought I was going to do with the rest of my life.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I’m setting up a fund to empower girls and women to speak up – on all issues, not just sexual harassment. For me, it’s about inspiring women to come together.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I think one of the things I’ve learned is that the tone of an organization is set from the top down. And if you have men running an organization that want to honor women, that’s a whole different experience than if they don’t.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I respond to every email. I sign every autograph for every person.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Half of the equation is men, and right now, unfortunately, men are running the majority of corporations, so we have to make sure that if that is the case, that they are respectful and honor women for their true accomplishments.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I’ve been for women’s empowerment my entire life.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I am saddened by the prevalence of powerful men disrespecting and objectifying women – and getting away with it for years.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I am particularly distressed when people in the public eye who influence our culture perpetuate sexism.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“My vibrato was my weakness. With romantic pieces, I could be a lot more schmaltzy. My wider vibrato fit that.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Everyone knew how powerful Roger Ailes was. I certainly felt intimidated by that; the culture of ‘Fox and Friends’ was intimidating to me.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“A lot of things I’ve done in my life have taken incredible mental fortitude.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I’m a huge believer in visualizing achieving the task before it happens.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I wish some days that I didn’t have as much drive as I do. I’d sleep better.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I’ve been truly blessed to have so many supporters and, of course, blessed to have my family and all my friends.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I have strived to empower women and girls throughout my entire career.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I am extremely proud of my accomplishments at ‘Fox News’ and for keeping our loyal viewers engaged and informed on events and news topics of the day.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“A lot of people who have come up to me at restaurants – men – and have said, ‘I want to shake your hand, because I have daughters’.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I never expected to be the face of sexual harassment. But I never give up on anything. So when placed in a new, challenging situation, it’s like, ‘I’m going to give this 110% because that’s what I’ve done my entire life.’”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I defend CNN! I defend all sorts of people when I think it’s wrong.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“My parents raised me with a never-give-up attitude, telling me I could be anything I wanted to be. I was a serious violinist and a valedictorian of my high school class. I knew all about hard work.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Men need to hire more women and put them in higher positions of power within organizations.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Let’s teach our girls and boys how to show the same respect to their colleagues in the workplace they show their moms and sisters at home.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“The assault weapon ban in this country should be reinstated.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I’ve reinvented myself many times in my life. I thought I’d become a concert violinist but burned out at 17. I thought I’d go to law school but became Miss America.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“One of the most important things to do is to raise our kids in a respectful way with both genders.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“A lot of stories that aren’t true get out into the mainstream, and it’s hard to correct that. People want to hear what they already believe.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“We need a woman in the White House right now. I really think that women want to work together.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Maybe it’s because I’m short and blond, but people have really underestimated me.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“During the time I was Miss America, I had come to New York City because I had decided I wanted to try to get into television.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I cling to the hope that with more and more women in the workplace, we can teach younger generations to be respectful and also encourage young women to speak up when they’ve experienced abuse.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Sexual harassment can really affect you for a long time, and I want more women to come forward.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“After I won Miss America, I called my dad, who had four kids in college, to say he no longer had to pay for Stanford.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“The political scenario has gotten so divisive – not only in Washington, D.C., but across the country, too.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Life is about compromise – in relationships and at work.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“When people don’t want to debate you on the smart issues of the day, it’s just a lot easier to call you a dumb blonde from Fox.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“If you Google me, you’ll find plenty of ‘dumb blonde’ references – even though I graduated with honors from Stanford and studied at Oxford University. I don’t let it bother me.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“There are no guarantees in life, but I believe faith provides all of us with a foundation to live the best lives possible – knowing that there is a higher being who loves us and will never leave us. Through the many struggles in my life, my faith is sometimes the only thing I have to hold onto. God was my only friend.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Sometimes people look at television personalities and say, ‘Wow, they’ve never had any problems.’ And I really wanted people to know that hadn’t been my path. I want people to know the real me underneath.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I always wanted to have a really successful career, but I always wanted to be a mom, too.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Hearing that I had a 3 percent chance of ever having kids was one of the more devastating moments in my life.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“We like to say Miss America is the classy one. It has a talent category. I would have been dead last in Miss USA – I’m five foot three, I’m not a model, and I never wanted to be one.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“For all of you out there who don’t know what ‘ignoramus’ is, it’s an ignorant lawyer.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I wanted to see how much of an insult it was to be called an ignoramus. I didn’t know what it meant; I just Googled it.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“One week after getting married in my thirties – while I was working as the main anchor at the CBS affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio – I got fired.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“My career had zero to do with whether or not my husband also worked. It had everything to do with personal identity, personal goals, and making the most of my life.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I didn’t win Class President in tenth grade. I was too chubby to win a role in the school play ‘Oklahoma!’ and I didn’t make it into a singing and dancing group in high school for the same reason – too fat.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“My advice to people who’ve lost their job: go back to the things that made you from the start.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“The future is wide open. I may actually go back and get that law degree someday.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I might even pursue a career in politics. If I do, I will have had great practice dealing with the avalanche of daily criticism from working at Fox News and being a former Miss America. I’m ready for anything!”
― Gretchen Carlson
“We all remember growing up with mean girls, right?”
― Gretchen Carlson
“Arbitration clauses have become prevalent in most corporate agreements or contracts for employees.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“One of my proudest moments in life was earning the valedictorian medal in high school. I worked so hard for it!”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I wasn’t naive, but at the end of my Miss America year, when two different executives attacked me during what I thought were informational interviews about jobs, I was shocked. I didn’t see it coming, and the worst thing about it was the shame I felt, as if I’d done something wrong.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I took off the makeup and stashed the crown, and now I was just another young woman out in the world. It’s almost dizzying how fast the fame goes away – like a stage that turns dark at the end of a performance.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“During my whole year as Miss America and afterward, I was calling agents, looking for advice and opportunities. When I was in New York or in Los Angeles doing different appearances, if I had time on my schedule, I tried to meet with executives.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I wasn’t prepared for the environment I encountered trying to break into television news. In the world of music, where I spent my formative years, we were judged solely on our talent, and gender wasn’t a factor.”
― Gretchen Carlson
“I know, normally folks on TV wouldn’t readily admit their age, but since there’s nothing you can do about it, you might as well own it and be happy.”
― Gretchen Carlson
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