So maybe you can’t have Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey or Sheryl Sandberg as your personal mentor, but who says you can’t be inspired by them? We’ve put together 50 inspiring quotes from remarkable female activists, entertainers, authors, politicians and more to give you just the jolt you need to wake to your greatness.
We believe that everyone has the potential for greatness. It’s finding the right motivation and inspiration to reach for greatness that often lets us down. This compilation of quotes is about celebrating the words of great wisdom, authority and motivation from remarkable women leaders.
We hope the quotes put a little fire in your heart, whether you’re a man or a woman. Enjoy!
- “Many women live like it’s a dress rehearsal. Ladies, the curtain is up and you’re on.” – Mikki Taylor
- “You’re not in competition with other women. You’re in competition with everyone.” – Tina Fey
- “The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.” – Roseanne Barr
- “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” – Marie Skłodowska-Curie
- “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” – Helen Keller
- “The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves.” – Barbara Corcoran
- “As women, we must stand up for ourselves. We must stand up for each other. We must stand up for justice for all.” – Michelle Obama
- “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” – Madeleine Albright
- “Don’t let being a woman hold you back from the leader that you’re destined to be.” – Jamie Farsnel
- “Leadership is not about men in suits. It is a way of life for those who know who they are and are willing to be their best to create the life they want to live.” – Kathleen Schafer
- “Do not wait on a leader…look in the mirror, it’s you!” – Katherine Miracle
- “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”– Sheryl Sandberg
- “A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” – Diane Mariechild
- “Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” – Anne Sweeney
- “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand
- “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” – Audre Lorde
- “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.” – Maya Angelou
- “I beg you take courage; the brave soul can mend even disaster.” – Yekaterina Alexeevna or Catherine the Great
- “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” – Mary Anne Radmacher
- “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” – Dolly Parton
- “I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head.” – Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales
- “I’m tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.” – Madonna
- “I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.” – Anaïs Nin
- “My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but also doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you.” – Hillary Clinton
- “With kids, they don’t do what you want them to do when you want them to do it. Organizations don’t necessarily, either. You’ve got to listen. You’ve got to learn how to influence.” – Ellen J. Kullman
- “Expect the unexpected, and whenever possible, be the unexpected.” – Lynda Barry
- “There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it, for if I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard.” – Madam C.J. Walker
- “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” – Amelia Earhart
- “Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou
- “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” – Estée Lauder
- “So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.” – Caterina Fake
- “The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to help somebody else get it first.” – Iyanla Vanzant
- “Surround yourself with a trusted and loyal team. It makes all the difference.” – Alison Pincus
- “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
- “We treat our people like royalty. If you honor and serve the people who work for you, they will honor and serve you.” – Mary Kay Ash
- “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” – Rosalynn Carter
- “Don’t waste a single second. Just move forward as fast as you can, and go for it.” – Rebecca Woodcock
- “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
- “My best successes came on the heels of failures.” – Barbara Corcoran
- “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” – Mother Teresa
- “We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.” – Whoopi Goldberg
- “If this is something that you really want to do, if you believe in it … simply keep forging forward because success will come.” – Cassandra Sanford
- “I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.” – Virginia Rometty
- “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” – Sara Blakely
- “I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” – Marissa Mayer
- “I work really hard at trying to see the big picture and not getting stuck in ego. I believe we’re all put on this planet for a purpose, and we all have a different purpose… When you connect with that love and that compassion, that’s when everything unfolds.” – Ellen DeGeneres
- “Sometimes you can gradually improve things. But sometimes, they don’t work, and you’ve just got to just say: Let’s grind this baby to a halt.” – Abigail Johnson
- “No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.” – Michelle Obama
Featured photo credit: US Department of Education via flickr.com
