There’s no hiding the truth that we live in a world that tries to make women feel small. In our careers, relationships, and everything in between, we experience setbacks and injustice because of our gender. Therefore, it’s no surprise that so many women allow their dreams to perish, accepting the words they have been told that they are not good enough.
Well, I’m here to tell you that’s b*llsh*t. Our divine feminine has been trampled on for too long, and it’s time to take back our power. And that’s what we’re doing right now. Take a look around and see all the badass independent women building businesses, creating change, and making the world a better place.
To remind you that you, too, are a strong, resilient being, we’ve put together an epic list of powerful women quotes from the most influential females of history. Let these inspirational sayings ignite your inner strength, wake up your dormant personal power, and unleash your divine feminine.
1. “I love hearing educated people speak and just shut everyone up. Knowledge is always the loudest voice.” — Zendaya
2. “It takes courage and strength to be empathetic, and I’m very proudly an empathetic and compassionate leader. I am trying to chart a different path, and that will attract criticism but I can only be true to myself and the form of leadership I believe in.” — Jacinda Ardern
3. “You should never be surprised when someone treats you with respect. You should expect it.” — Sarah Dessen
4. “People have to go through things in order to become the person that they are today and that’s that.” — Sarah Hyland
5. “Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” — Mia Hamm
6. “Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong.” — Emma Watson
7. “Be courageous. Challenge orthodoxy. Stand up for what you believe in. When you are in your rocking chair talking to your grandchildren many years from now, be sure you have a good story to tell.” — Amal Clooney
8. “I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all” — Simone Biles
9. “The trouble was, I hated the idea of serving men in any way. I wanted to dictate my own thrilling letters.’ — Sylvia Plath
10. “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
11. “If you set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.” — Margaret Thatcher
12. “Anger is not inherently destructive. My anger can be a force for good. My anger can be creative and imaginative, seeing a better world that doesn’t yet exist. It can fuel a righteous movement toward justice and freedom.” — Austin Channing Brown
13. “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
14. “Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” — Julie Andrews
15. “Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.” — Bethany Hamilton
16. “On my own I will just create, and if it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, I’ll create something else. I don’t have any limitations on what I think I could do or be.” — Oprah Winfrey
17. “You have to rely on your support system. Growing up, I always thought it was a sign of weakness to ask for help, but now I realize it’s really a sign of strength to say, ‘I need help, I can’t do it all.” — Kerri Walsh
18. “It is better to be looked over than overlooked.” ― Mae West
19. “Learn to embrace your own unique beauty, celebrate your unique gifts with confidence. Your imperfections are actually a gift.” — Kerry Washington
20. “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
21. “Don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that’s in us.” — Angela Bassett
22. “Courage doesn’t always roar, sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering I will try again tomorrow.” — Mary Anne Radmacher
23. “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
24. “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
25. “I am grateful for all those dark years, even though in retrospect they seem like a long, bitter prayer that was answered finally.” — Marilynne Robinson
26. “No woman who had been intimate with a god was easily disturbed.” ― Michael Cadnum
27. “Being a strong woman is very important to me. But doing it all on my own is not.” — Reba McEntire
28. “Sports provide girls with the opportunity to develop a better relationship with their bodies. They can be aggressive on the court, be strong and still be feminine.” — Gabrielle Reece
29. “When you fail you learn from the mistakes you made and it motivates you to work even harder.” — Natalie Gulbis
30. “I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity. And I want to be respected in all of my femaleness because I deserve to be.” — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
31. “There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women.” — Malala Yousafzai
32. “I’m trying to take the stigma off the word [ambitious] so we encourage more little girls to be ambitious, because I do think that’s how society will change.” — Reese Witherspoon
33. “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will, which I now exert to leave you.” — Charlotte Bronte
34. “”If you don’t see a clear path for what you want, sometimes you have to make it yourself.”” — Mindy Kaling
35. “I’ve had to learn through experiences not to be afraid to fail. You don’t know what the future holds for you. You can hope your dreams come true, but you have to be fearless. I don’t want to look back and think, ‘What if?” — Nastia Liukin
36. “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
37. “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” — Oprah Winfrey
38. “I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles.” — Audrey Hepburn
39. “And really, how insulting is it that to suggest that the best thing women can do is raise other people to do incredible things? I’m betting some of those women would like to do great things of their own.” — Jessica Valenti
40. “I know my worth. I embrace my power. I say if I’m beautiful. I say if I’m strong. You will not determine my story. I will.” — Amy Schumer
41. “When my body is strong, I feel stronger inside. I feel more capable of handling emotional situations.” — Mariska Hargitay
42. “You must give everything to make your life as beautiful as the dreams that dance in your imagination.” ― Roman Payne
43. “I can never be safe; I always try and go against the grain. As soon as I accomplish one thing, I just set a higher goal. That’s how I’ve gotten to where I am.” — Beyoncé
44. “No one knows what you have been through or what your pretty little eyes have seen, but I can reassure you ~ whatever you have conquered, it shines through your mind.” ― Nikki Rowe
45. “Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.” — Maya Angelou
46. “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” — Audre Lorde
47. “The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” — Ayn Rand
48. “We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly.” — Margaret Atwood
49. “I just love bossy women. I could be around them all day. To me, bossy is not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody’s passionate and engaged and ambitious and doesn’t mind learning.” — Amy Poehler
50. “You can fall, but you can rise also.” — Angélique Kidjo
We hope you’re feeling as empowered as we are after reading these thought-provoking, powerful women quotes. However, if you want to feel even more inspired, look into the stories of the strong women behind the words. Some of the most influential women of all time have overcome unthinkable hardships and adversity. What’s more, they are now inspiring other females to do the same.
While we may have a long history of gender inequality to undo, significant progress has been made in recent years. The more we make a stand together, the more powerful we become.
