Inspiring Quotes by Women That Empower and Motivate

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

Know that you are powerful beyond measure. You were born with wings. Learn to use them. — Oprah Winfrey

The question isn't who's going to let me; it's who's going to stop me. — Ayn Rand

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. — Eleanor Roosevelt

I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. — Mother Teresa

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. — Maya Angelou

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

We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced. — Malala Yousafzai

Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women. — Maya Angelou

Your self-worth is determined by you. Teach yourself this truth. — Beyoncé

There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish. — Michelle Obama

I've learned that when you speak your truth, you give others permission to do the same. — Brené Brown

Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence. — Meryl Streep

I never dreamed about success. I worked for it. — Estée Lauder

Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t. — Rikki Rogers

Don’t compromise yourself. You’re all you’ve got. — Janis Joplin

Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives. — Michelle Obama

I raise up my voice—not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. — Malala Yousafzai

If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair. — Shirley Chisholm

The most effective way to do it is to do it. — Amelia Earhart

Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it by use. — Ruth Bader Ginsburg

I’m tough, I’m ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay. — Madonna

To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. — Eleanor Roosevelt

I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it. — Madeleine Albright

I was smart enough to go through any door that opened. — Joan Rivers

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

We don’t need anyone’s permission to be who we are. — Laverne Cox

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. — Maya Angelou

I was born to make mistakes, not to fake perfection. — Lady Gaga

It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. — Hillary Clinton

Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision. — Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Resilience is not about bouncing back, it’s about leaping forward. — Melinda French Gates

Sometimes we gain strength and courage during times of adversity. — Wilma Mankiller

You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you. — Mary Tyler Moore

Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen. — Brené Brown

I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life—and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do. — Katherine Hepburn

Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength. — G.D. Anderson

Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights. — Hillary Clinton

We should all be feminists. — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Inventing has been my life’s work, but feminism is my life’s passion. — Sheryl Sandberg

Equality is not a concept. It’s not something we should aim for. It’s a necessity. — Beyoncé

A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. — Melinda French Gates

The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to all who care about human rights. — Gloria Steinem

There is no gene for gender inequality. — Jane Goodall

Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. — Ruth Bader Ginsburg

We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough. — Helen Keller

Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty. — Kofi Annan (quoted by many female leaders)

The fight is not over until all women have equal opportunities and rights. — Kamala Harris

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. — Norma Parker (often attributed to Oscar Wilde, but popularized by women)

Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going. — Sam Levenson (popularly shared by women entrepreneurs)

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. — Eleanor Roosevelt

Ambition is not a dirty word. It’s just determination in high heels. — Sophia Amoruso

Dream big. Start small. Act now. — Robin Sharma (frequently used by women in leadership)

You don’t have to be perfect to be amazing. — Unknown (widely shared by women online)

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined. — Henry David Thoreau (cherished by countless women)

Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I’m possible.' — Audrey Hepburn

Do what you feel in your heart to be right—for you’ll be criticized anyway. — Eleanor Roosevelt

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. — Maya Angelou

Let your ambitions be bigger than your fears. — Unknown

She believed she could, so she did. — R.S. Grey

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind. — Dr. Seuss (often credited and shared by women)

Life is not measured in years, but in the moments that take your breath away. — Maya Angelou

Growth is the only evidence of life. — John Henry Newman (frequently quoted by women leaders)

You get in life what you have the courage to ask for. — Oprah Winfrey

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. — Chinese Proverb (popular among women entrepreneurs)

Don’t explain your dreams to someone who hasn’t got one. — Unknown (viral quote among women)

Peace begins with a smile. — Mother Teresa

If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. — Martin Luther King Jr. (embraced by women worldwide)

Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. — Albus Dumbledore (loved by women fans everywhere)

Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth. — Unknown (ubiquitous in women’s communities)

Comparison is the thief of joy. — Theodore Roosevelt (frequently cited by women wellness advocates)

Be the change that you wish to see in the world. — Mahatma Gandhi (shared widely by women activists)

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. — Buddha (often repeated by women in self-care spaces)

Confidence is not 'they will like me.' Confidence is 'I’ll be fine if they don’t.' — Christina Grimmie

To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness. — Robert Morley (cherished by women globally)

Self-care is how you take your power back. — Lalah Delia

You don’t need to be perfect to be worthy of love. — Brené Brown

Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do. — Brené Brown

You were born to be real, not to be perfect. — Unknown

Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. — Lucille Ball

Stop trying to fix yourself. You are not broken. — Teal Swan

You are enough just as you are. — Meghan Markle

Self-love is not selfish; you cannot truly love others until you know how to love yourself. — Unknown

Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong. — Peter T. Mcintyre (popular among women speakers)

Out of difficulties grow miracles. — Jean de La Bruyère (often shared by women overcoming hardship)

I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it. — Maya Angelou

Hard times may hold you down, but they will not last forever. — Joanne Accom

Survival is important. Thriving is elegant. — Maya Angelou

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be broken by them. — Maya Angelou

Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent advantage. — Napoleon Hill (frequently used by women coaches)

When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s the point. — Haruki Murakami (resonates deeply with women)

It’s okay to be a glowstick: sometimes we have to break before we shine. — Unknown

You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice. — Bob Marley (often quoted by women in crisis)

Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life. — J.K. Rowling

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. — Ralph Waldo Emerson (beloved by women worldwide)

Turn your wounds into wisdom. — Oprah Winfrey

Creativity takes courage. — Henri Matisse (embraced by female artists)

The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. — Dieter F. Uchtdorf (shared widely by women creators)

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. — Maya Angelou

Don’t save your good ideas for later. Use them now. — Tina Roth Eisenberg

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. — Edgar Degas (valued by women in visual arts)

Originality is the art of remembering what you steal. — Steve Jobs (popular among women innovators)

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. — Suzy Kassem

If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. — Vincent Van Gogh (adopted by women creatives)

The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before. — Neil Gaiman (cherished by women makers)

Create like nobody’s watching. — Unknown

Don’t wait for opportunity. Create it. — George Bernard Shaw (used by women entrepreneurs)

Imagination is more important than knowledge. — Albert Einstein (frequently cited by women in STEM and arts)