Enjoy these fabulous quotes highlighting the importance of women's contributions, strength and leadership.

Sharing quotes by women is important for inspiring, empowering, and motivating others, particularly in the face of adversity or when facing gender-based challenges. 

Words can motivate, inspire, educate, energize and mobilize. Women from past and present, and from different countries, backgrounds, experiences, mindsets and job positions have such impactful thoughts to share. 

Quotes from women trailblazers and luminaries, showcase women's strength, resilience, and contributions to society. They also offer a platform for women's voices to be heard and acknowledged, highlighting the importance of recognizing and celebrating women's achievements. 

And remember, true leaders take a chance despite the risks, learn from their mistakes, and don't easily give up.

Fabulous quotes by impressive women

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” 

– Billie Jean King, American tennis player who fought for equal prize money for female athletes

“To love what you do and feel like it matters — how could anything be more fun?” 

– Katharine Graham, first American female Fortune 500 CEO

“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.” 

– Maya Angelou, American poet, memoirist and civil rights activist

“I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career.” 

– Gloria Steinem, feminist journalist and social activist

“Decide … whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying.” 

– Amelia Earhart, aviation pioneer and author

“Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It’s the mastery of fear. It’s about getting up one more time than we fall down.” 

– Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post and CEO of Thrive Global

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” 

– Ruth Bader Ginsburg, American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

“There are many things you can do overnight, but there is no overnight success. 

– Tory Burch, fashion designer, businesswoman and philanthropist

“Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently.” 

– Marie Forleo, entrepreneur, writer and philanthropist

“Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” 

– Golda Meir, first female prime minister of Israel

We realize the importance of our voices only when they are silenced.

– Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani female education activist, film and television producer, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” 

– Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady of the United States, diplomat and activist

“We must develop a thick skin. With an unshakeable sense of self — and a commitment to being compassionate — nothing will faze you.” 

– Mari Smith, social media marketer known as the “Facebook Queen”

“You should never let your fears prevent you from doing what you know is right.” 

– Aung San Suu Kyi, human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former state counselor of Myanmar

“Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.” 

– Sandra Day O’Connor, first woman appointed to the Supreme Court

If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.

– Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister

“If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” 

– Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, first female head of state in Africa

“I want to show that you can have fun and have purpose, be respectful and speak your mind. You can be both elegant and a provocateur. You can be curvy and still be a fashion icon. I wish this freedom for every person.”

– Beyoncé, American singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman.

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” 

– Jane Goodall, English primatologist and anthropologist

“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” 

– Coco Chanel, French fashion designer

“I want little girls to grow up knowing they can do anything, even play football.” 

– Jen Welter, first female coach in the NFL

“You can have it all. Just not all at once.” 

– Oprah Winfrey, television personality

“I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women.”

– Nora Ephron, American journalist, writer and filmmaker

“I wake up every morning and think to myself, ‘How far can I push the company forward in the next 24 hours?’” 

– Leah Busque, founder and CEO of TaskRabbit

“As a leader, it’s a major responsibility on your shoulders to practice the behavior you want others to follow.” 

– Himanshu Bhatia, founder and CEO of Rose International

“Whatever it is that you think you want to do, and whatever it is that you think stands between you and that, stop making excuses. You can do anything.” 

–  Katia Beauchamp, co-founder and CEO of Birchbox

“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.” 

– Gertrude Stein, American novelist

“When I’m hungry, I eat. When I’m thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it.” 

– Madonna, American entertainer and first female billionaire of pop music

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started."

– Sally Berger, film and media curator, lecturer, and writer

“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.” 

– Florence Nightingale, British nurse, social reformer and statistician

“Invite people into your life that don’t look or think like you.” 

– Mellody Hobson, president and co-CEO of Ariel Investments

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” 

– Anne Frank, Jewish diarist who wrote about her family’s time in hiding during the German occupation in World War II

“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, Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary

“Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder.” 

– Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Facebook, author, and co-founder of 'Lean In'

“Define goal. Take action. Stay focused. Expect success. Nothing less.” 

– Michele Ruiz, entrepreneur, bilingual communication specialist, author and keynote speaker

“Build your business success around something that you love — something that is inherently and endlessly interesting to you.” 

– Martha Stewart, businesswoman, writer and television personality

“The most successful entrepreneurs I know are optimistic. It’s part of the job description.”  

– Caterina Fake, founder of Flickr

“People respond well to those that are sure of what they want.” 

– Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue

“I think the girl who is able to earn her own living and pay her own way should be as happy as anybody on Earth. The sense of independence and security is very sweet.” 

– Susan B. Anthony, women’s rights activist and social reformer

“If you follow your heart, if you listen to your gut and if you extend your hand to help another — not for any agenda, but for the sake of humanity — you are going to find the truth.” 

– Erin Brockovich, legal clerk, consumer advocate and environmental activist

“Don’t cut off your career branches too early. Don’t step away from your career based on what ‘might’ happen.” 

– Mary Barra, chairwoman and CEO of General Motors

“I was taught to strive, not because there were any guarantees of success, but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith with life.” 

– Madeleine Albright, first female U.S. secretary of state

“If you’re not making some notable mistakes along the way, you’re certainly not taking enough business and career chances.” 

– Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.” 

– Harriet Tubman, abolitionist and political activist

“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.” 

– Marie Curie, Polish-French physicist and first female Nobel Prize winner

“There are lots of opportunities out there for women to work in these fields; girls just need support, encouragement and mentoring to follow through with the sciences.” 

– Sally Ride, first American woman to fly to space

“Some leaders are born women.” 

– Geraldine Ferraro, first female vice presidential candidate in the U.S.

“To stay ahead, you must have your next idea waiting in the wings.” 

– Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard business professor and director of the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative

“Each person must live their life as a model for others.” 

– Rosa Parks, civil rights activist

“There are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.” 

– Indira Gandhi, former prime minister of India

“Do not be afraid to make decisions. Do not be afraid to make mistakes.” 

– Carly Fiorina, first female CEO of a Fortune 20 company

“I always want to make films. I think of it as a great opportunity to comment on the world in which we live.” 

– Kathryn Bigelow, first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director

“The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of a mistake.” 

– Meg Whitman, multi-CEO and businesswoman

“If we are going to be part of the solution, we have to engage the problems.” 

– Majora Carter, urban revitalization strategist

“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, American writer and activist who served as first lady of the United States 

“None of us can know what we are capable of until we are tested.” 

– Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman to graduate from medical school in the U.S.

“What sets you apart can sometimes feel like a burden, and it’s not. And a lot of the time, it’s what makes you great.” 

– Emma Stone, Academy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress

“I have never, ever focused on the negative of things. I always look at the positive.” 

– Sonia Sotomayor, first Latina Supreme Court justice

“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules and build a life you’re proud to live.” 

– Anne Sweeney, American businesswoman and former co-chair of Disney Media

“You create opportunities by performing, not complaining.” 

– Muriel Siebert, first female member of the New York Stock Exchange

"Our deepest wishes are whispers of our authentic self. We must learn to respect them. We must learn to listen."

– Sarah Ban Breathnach, best-selling author, philanthropist and public speaker. 

"Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get."

– Ingrid Bergman, Swedish-born award-winning actor

"Be the type of girl that climbs the ladder wrong by wrong."

– Mae West,  American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright 

"When anyone tells me I can’t do anything … I’m just not listening anymore."

– Florence Griffith Joyner, American track and field athlete

"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, writer and artist.

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.

– Alice Walker, American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist.

"And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk more."

– Erica Jong, American novelist, satirist, and poet.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage."

– Anais Nin, French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories.

"Find out who you are and be that person. That’s what your soul was put on this Earth to be. Find that truth, live that truth and everything else will come."

– Ellen DeGeneres, American comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer.

"Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve."

– Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics.

"I dwell in possibility."

– Emily Dickinson, American poet.

"I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list."

– Susan Sontag,  American writer, critic, and public intellectual. 

"Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure you do things differently from everyone else."

– Sarah Blakely, American businesswoman, founded of Spanx, and philanthropist.

"I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist."

– Virginia Rometty,  American business executive  formerly executive chairman, president and CEO of IBM. 

"Always concentrate on how far you have come, rather than how far you have left to go. The difference in how easy it seems will amaze you."

– Heidi Johnson, nonprofit founder and Charity Matters podcast host.

“To truly include women means to openly embrace their diversity of race, age, ability, faith, body image, and how they identify. Worldwide, women must be included in all fields of endeavor.”

– The IWD website.

“There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself.”  

– Hannah Gadsby, Australian comedian, writer, author and actor. 

“Doubt is a killer. You just have to know what you stand for and go for it.” 

– Venus Williams, American tennis player, former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles.

“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” 

– Ayn Rand, Russian-American writer and philosopher. 

“Girls should never be afraid to be smart.” 

– Emma Watson, English actress known for her roles in both blockbusters and independent films.

“Women are the real architects of society.” 

– Harriet Beecher Stowe, American author and abolitionist.

“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” 

– Laurel Thatcher Ulrich,  Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian and Harvard University professor.

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” 

– Audre Lorde, American writer, professor, philosopher, intersectional feminist, poet and civil rights activist.

“Organize, agitate, educate, must be our war cry.”

– Susan B. Anthony, American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement.

“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.” 

– Margaret Fuller

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” 

– Angela Davis,  American journalist, editor, critic, translator, and women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movement.

“The challenge is not to be perfect… it’s to be whole.” 

– Jane Fonda, American actress and activist.

“A strong woman understands that gifts such as logic, decisiveness, and strength are just as feminine as intuition and emotional connection. She values and uses all of her gifts.”

– Nancy Rathburn, author.

“Where there is a woman there is magic.” 

– Ntozake Shange, American playwright and poet.

“I will always be the girl who believed she could make it to the moon, in a world that still debates whether girls should have an education and whether women should have reproductive rights.” 

– Alaa Murabit,  Libyan-Canadian physician, policy maker, and strategist focused on health, inclusive security, and sustainable development.

“Women are the backbone of any society.” 

– Diane Mariechild, author.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has."

– Margaret Mead, American cultural anthropologist, author and speaker.

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