Quotes by women

10. “Power’s not given to you. You have to take it.” – Beyoncé Knowles Carter

Inspiring Quotes From 100 Extraordinary Women

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Most lists of motivational quotes are dominated by the counsel of men, and it certainly isn’t because women lack words of wisdom. So, I curated a list of my favorite quotes — from luminaries living and dead, activists and athletes, authors and actors, leaders and lovers — all women. Each of these is powerful in its own right; together, they form a motivational stew, encouraging you to seize life and sprint towards success.

1. “If I stop to kick every barking dog I am not going to get where I’m going.” – Jackie Joyner-Kersee

2. “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” – Helen Keller

3. “You are the one that possesses the keys to your being. You carry the passport to your own happiness.” – Diane von Furstenberg

4. “I was smart enough to go through any door that opened.” – Joan Rivers

5. “Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputations can never effect a reform.” – Susan B. Anthony

6. “When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” – Malala Yousafzai

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

8. “Knowing what must be done does away with fear.” – Rosa Parks

9. “I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” – Estée Lauder

10. “Power’s not given to you. You have to take it.” – Beyoncé Knowles Carter

11. “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart

12. “The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves.” – Barbara Corcoran

13. “You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.” – Shonda Rhimes

14. “I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done.” – Lucille Ball

15. “I hope the fathers and mothers of little girls will look at them and say ‘yes, women can.'” – Dilma Rousseff

16. “Beware of monotony; it’s the mother of all the deadly sins.” – Edith Wharton

17. “If you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.” – Erica Jong

18. “I have stood on a mountain of no’s for one yes.” – B. Smith

19. “The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.” – Peggy O’Mara

20. “You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe.” – Leymah Gbowee

21. “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” – Dolly Parton

22. “If you think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind. If you don’t, you’re simply ducking your responsibilities.” – Ann Richards

23. “You can’t give up! If you give up, you’re like everybody else.” – Chris Evert

24. “No matter how difficult and painful it may be, nothing sounds as good to the soul as the truth.” – Martha Beck

25. “Done is better than perfect.” – Sheryl Sandberg

26. “One of the secrets to staying young is to always do things you don’t know how to do, to keep learning.” – Ruth Reichl

Quotes by women

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

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backward and in high heels.

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

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

It’s not your job to like me, it’s mine.

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

– Sarah Ban Breathnach

We can do no great things, only small things with great love.

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

A woman is like a tea bag — you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.

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.

I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t think about you at all.

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

We have to become the men we wanted to marry.

Women must try to do as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.

It is past time for women to take their rightful place, side by side with men, in the rooms where the fates of peoples, where their children’s and grandchildren’s fates, are decided.

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

– Florence Griffith Joyner

Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country.

Nothing is impossible. The word itself says, “I’m possible!”

Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half their inferior. Luckily, this is not difficult.

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

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

A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.

Expect the unexpected, and whenever possible, be the unexpected.

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

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

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

We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is only enough.

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.

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.

I dwell in possibility.

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

Do one thing every day that scares you.

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.

It is our choices, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

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.

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.

If you don’t like being a doormat then get off the floor.

I used to walk down the street like I was a superstar… I want people to walk around delusional about how great they can be — and then to fight so hard for it every day that the lie becomes the truth.

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

It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.

A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want.

The most effective way to do it, is to do it.

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.

Are these quotes by notable women inspiring you to take a step on your own path toward leadership in your community or workplace? Read the Bentley-Gallup “Force for Good” Survey to read about the current landscape of Americans’ workplace expectations and how they believe business can be a force for good in the world today.