100 Women’s Empowerment Quotes

Spoken by some of history’s strongest female figures, these quotes to empower women will inspire and encourage you to pursue your dreams. Is there more work to be done? powerful quotes from women about strength and empowerment Of course, that’s why we’ve rounded up some of the best strong women quotes to inspire, empower, and encourage women to keep striving for equity while embracing and flaunting their awesomeness.

Women’s Empowerment Quotes

1. “There is a stubbornness about me that can never bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” – Jane Austen

2. “Hard work keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit.” — Helena Rubinstein

3. “Women’s work is never easy, never clean.” ― Tayari Jones, “An American Marriage”

4. “I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves.” – Mary Shelley

5. “Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it by use.” – Ruth Gordon

6. “Women have to harness their power—it’s true. It’s just learning not to take the first ‘no’. And if you can’t go straight ahead, you go around the corner.” – Cher

7. “My true potential had more to do with my willingness to struggle than with my past and present circumstances.” — Hope Jahren, Lab Girl

8. “Women will be hidden no more. We will not remain hidden figures. We have names. … It was a woman who gave you Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was a woman who gave you Malcolm X. And according to the Bible, it was a woman who gave you Jesus. Don’t you ever forget it?” Janelle Monáe

9. “A Woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself” — Maya Angelou

10. “One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” ― Joan of Arc

11. Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. … It shouldn’t be that women are the exception. Ruth Bader Ginsburg

12. “Women’s speech—and the fact that we are now listening to it—has enraged men in a way that makes them determined to reestablish the longstanding hierarchy of power in America. … And yet this awful truth will not stop women from speaking, and I do not think that it will turn a movement into a moment. It has become clear that there is not nearly enough left to lose.” Jia Tolentino

Inspirational Women Empowerment Quotes

13. “Everything is within your power, and your power is within you.” — Janice Trachtman, Catching What Life Throws at You: Inspiring True Stories of Healing.

14. “A woman is like a tea bag — you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

15. “I am too intelligent, too demanding, and too resourceful for anyone to be able to take charge of me entirely. No one knows me or loves me completely. I have only myself”– Simone de Beauvoir

16. “It’s important to teach our female youth that it’s OK to say, ‘Yes, I am good at this,’ and you don’t hold back.” Simone Biles

17. “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 sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” — Marissa Mayer

18. “I have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.” — Rebecca West

19. “My coach said I run like a girl. And I said if he ran a little faster, he could too.” – Mia Hamm

20. “‘ You can’t do it,’ was the terrible verdict. ‘In the first place, you are a woman and would need a protector, and even if it were possible for you to travel alone you would need to carry so much baggage that it would detain you in making rapid changes. Besides you speak nothing but English, so there is no use talking about it; no one but a man can do this.’ “‘Very well,’ I said angrily, ‘Start the man, and

Best Women Empowerment Quotes

21. “Feminism…is not ‘women as victims’ but women refusing to be victims.” ― Gloria Steinem, “The Trouble With Rich Women”

22. “Sometimes just being yourself is the radical act. When you occupy space in systems that weren’t built for you, your authenticity is activism.” — Elaine Welteroth, More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say)

23. “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” ― Estée Lauder

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

25. “When you can’t find someone to follow, you have to find a way to lead by example.” — Roxane Gay, Bad Feminist

26. “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” — Madeleine Albright

27. “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

28. “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” Michelle Obama

29. company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household. Our country was built by strong women, and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes.” Nancy Pelosi

30. “My movement is my movement. When all the dust has settled on the groundbreaking-ness, I’m going to still be doing this. I’m not going to suddenly change. I’m going to still be telling my life story through music. And if that’s body-positive to you, amen. If that’s feminist to you, amen. If that’s pro-Black to you, amen. Because ma’am, I’m all of those things.” — Lizzo

Women’s Inspirational Quotes About Life

31. “I don’t want to think about what I’m leaving. I just think about who I am every single day behind closed doors and cameras. And that’s what I focus on.” Serena Williams

32. “I am an example of what is possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by people around them. I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life who taught me about quiet strength and dignity.” — Michelle Obama

33. “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” — Mother Teresa

34. “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, you can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you would threaten the man.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

35. “I learned a long time ago that there is something worse than missing the goal, and that’s not pulling the trigger.” — Mia Hamm

36. Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe you must become its soul. Coretta Scott King

37. “Women are leaders everywhere you look — from the CEO who runs a Fortune

38. company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household. Our country was built by strong women, and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes.” — Nancy Pelosi

39. “Change is incremental, and it is sometimes quiet. And it is happening. I promise you it is happening.” — Glennon Doyle

40. “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.” — Marie Shear

Women’s Quotes About Empowerment

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

42. “When a woman is assaulted, one of the first questions people ask is, Did you say no? This question assumes that the answer is always yes and that it is her job to revoke the agreement. To defuse the bomb she was given. But why are they allowed to touch us until we physically fight them off? Why is the door open until we have to slam it shut?” Chanel Miller

43. “She didn’t care that people called her a bitch. ‘It’s just another word for feminist,’ she told me with pride.” Gayle Forman

44. “A revolutionary woman can’t have no reactionary man.” Assata Shakur

45. “A woman is like a tea bag—you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

46. “Behind every great woman… is another great woman.” Kate Hodges

47. “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.” — Tina Fey

48. “I am a woman and a warrior. If you think I can’t be both, you’ve been lied to.” Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar

49. “If you find someone you love in your life, then hang on to that love.” — Princess Diana

50. We’ve begun to raise daughters more like sons, but few dare to raise our sons more like our daughters.” — Gloria Steinem

Women Empowerment Quotes From The Bible

51. “Agency. Self-determination. Dignity. Solidarity. We could not discount the potential impact of even one such altered perspective on a young girl, her family, and, eventually, on an entire community.” — Samantha Power, The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir

52. “If you ask a woman who she is, she’ll tell you who she serves and sometimes what she does. But that isn’t the whole story.” — Glennon Doyle

53. “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.” ― Louisa May Alcott, “Little Women

54. “Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.”– Bethany Hamilton

55. “I raise my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. … We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” Malala Yousafzai

56. “You don’t know the background story of resilience, struggles, and strength of beautiful and outgoing women. All you see is what is showcased.” — Germany Kent

57. “I embrace the label of bad feminist because I am human. I am messy. I’m not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers. I am not trying to say I’m right. I am just trying—trying to support what I believe in, trying to do some good in this world, trying to make some noise with my writing while also being myself.” Roxane Gay

58. “No woman should be told she can’t make decisions about her own body. When women’s rights are under attack, we fight back.” —Kamala Harris

59. “I don’t think about beauty. I wake up and I want to be a smarter person, that’s my focus. … I’m encouraging certainly my girls that if they can make their inside and who they are stunning then everything falls together.” Angelina Jolie

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

Inspirational Quotes About Women Empowerment

61. “Who knows what women can be when they are finally free to be themselves.” — Betty Friedan

62. “I raise my voice — not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard … we cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” ― Malala Yousafzai

63. “I am a woman / Phenomenally / Phenomenal woman / That’s me.” Maya Angelou

64. “Maybe it just boils down to I’m a woman who’s really into her career, so I’m obsessed with the craft of my work. … There’s a romance in that for me.” Mitski

65. Related: Positive Quotes for Women

66. “You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.” — Marsha P. Johnson ‍

67. “I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone unafraid to be herself.” – Emma Stone

68. “There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.” — Rihanna

69. “Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead twenty years and try to look at what I need to do now to get there then.” — Diana Ross

70. “Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.” — Tina Fey

Short Quotes About Female Empowerment

71. “It is critical to unearth and understand our stories — both as individuals and as entrepreneurs. Once we do that, make peace with it, and embrace it, not only can we live empowered, transformed, and fulfilling lives, we can help others do that too as models and as guides.” — Marta Spirk, The Empowered Woman: The Ultimate Roadmap to Business Success

72. “No woman can call herself free who does not control her own body.” ― Margaret Sanger

73. “More and more women are realizing that only collective strength and action will allow us to be free to fight for the kind of society that meets basic human needs.” Roxanne Dunbar

74. “No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half its citizens” ― Michelle Obama

75. “We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.” — Sheryl Sandberg

76. “If any female feels she needs anything beyond herself to legitimate and validate her existence, she is already giving away her power to be self-defining, her agency.” ― Bell Hooks, Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics

77. “The price way pay for being ourselves is worth it.” — Eartha Kitt

78. “To all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful, and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your dreams.” —Hillary Clinton

79. “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.”― Brigham Young

80. “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” — Mary Anne Radmacher

Funny Quotes About Women Empowerment

81. “A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.” ― Melinda Gates

82. “Deadly and graceful, poised and ruthless. Quiet and cunning. A queen offers her hand to be kissed, and can form it into a fist while smiling the whole damn time.” — Elizabeth Acevedo

83. “If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.” The Cohambee River Collective

84. “Hear me as a woman./Have me as your sister./On purpled battlefield breaking day,/So I might say our victory is just beginning,/See me as change,/Say I am movement,/That I am the year,/and I am the era/of the women.” Amanda Gorman

85. “Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.” – Maya Angelou

86. Getty Images Women are always saying, ‘We can do anything that men can do.’ But men should be saying, ‘We can do anything that women can do.’ Gloria Steinem

87. “Teach her that the idea of ‘gender roles’ is absolute nonsense. Do not ever tell her that she should or should not do something because she is a girl. ‘Because you are a girl’ is never a reason for anything. Ever.” ― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions”

88. “I hate to hear you talking so like a fine gentleman, and as if women were all fine ladies, instead of rational creatures. We none of us expect to be in smooth water all our days.” Jane Austen

89. “To all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful, and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your dreams.” Hillary Clinton

90. “Women should be tough, tender, laugh as much as possible, and live long lives.” — Maya Angelou ‍

Quotes About Women Empowerment By Famous People

91. “I don’t like the marginalization of women when the fighting breaks out. We get to fight too.” — J.K. Rowling

92. “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” ― Oprah Winfrey

93. “Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men.” — Katherine Johnson

94. “It’s not about being perfect. It’s not about where you get yourself in the end. There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice.” — Michelle Obama, “Becoming”

95. “To all the little girls… never doubt that you are valuable and powerful, and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your dreams.” — Hillary Clinton

96. “Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.” — Toni Morrison