We all have low periods when we think the challenges and odds against us is overwhelming. Yet such periods of difficulties are not meant to break us, but build us into becoming the best person we can be and influencing our environment. Finding succor in the words of groundbreaking women leaders could lead us to finding the energy to be inspired and motivated.
1. Anne Sweeney
“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.”
Anne Sweeney was the President of the Disney Channel from 1996 – 2014.
2. Angelina Jolie
“I don’t believe in guilt, I believe in living on impulse as long as you never intentionally hurt another person, and don’t judge people in your life. I think you should live completely free.”
Angelina Jolie is an American actress, filmmaker and humanitarian.
3. J. K. Rowling
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our friends, but as much to stand up to our enemies.”
J K Rowling is a British novelist and author of the Harry Potter fantasy series.
4. Madam C.J. Walker
“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.”
Madam C J Walker was the first female self made millionaire in America.
5. Oprah Winfrey
“I am a woman in the process; I’m just trying to be like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience and learn from it. Life is never dull.”
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, producer and philanthropist.
6. Michelle Obama
“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.”
Michelle Barack Obama is the first African-American First Lady of the United States.
7. Arianna Huffington
“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.”
She is the co-founder and editress-in-chief of The Huffington Post
8. Miuccia Prada
“The only way to do something in depth is to work hard. The moment you start being in love with what you’re doing, and thinking it’s beautiful or rich, then you’re in danger.”
Miuccia Prada is the Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur behind Prada and Miu Miu.
9. Mary Kay Ash
“We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don’t know where you are aiming, you don’t have a goal. My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone can say, ‘she cared.”
Mary Kay Ash was an American business woman and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.
10. Helen Keller
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
Helen Keller was the first deafblind person to earn a bachelor’s degree.
11. Melinda Gates
“If you are successful, it is because somewhere, sometime, someone gave you a life or an idea that started you in the right direction. Remember also that you are indebted to life until you help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped.”
Melinda Gates is the wife of Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates and the co-founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
12. Sheryl Sandberg
“Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical and performance-oriented) no longer holds. Instead, true leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed… Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection.”
Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook.
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