300 Strong Women Quotes to Empower and Inspire Every Woman

Editor’s Picks: Best Strong Women Quotes

Empowering Strong Women Quotes

1. “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.” — Alice Walker
2. “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.” — Attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt
3. “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” — Charlotte Brontë
4. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” — Maya Angelou
5. “A strong woman looks a challenge dead in the eye and gives it a wink.” — Gina Carey
6. “The question isn't who's going to let me; it's who's going to stop me.” — Attributed to Ayn Rand
7. “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” — Michelle Obama
8. “You don't become what you want, you become what you believe.” — Oprah Winfrey
9. “A strong woman understands that the gifts such as logic, decisiveness, and strength are just as feminine as intuition and emotional connection.” — Nancy Rathburn
10. “I am a woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that's me.” — Maya Angelou
11. “She remembered who she was and the game changed.” — Lalah Delia
12. “We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” — Malala Yousafzai
13. “I think the best role models for women are people who are fruitfully and confidently themselves, who bring light into the world.” — Meryl Streep
14. “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” — Amelia Earhart
15. “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” — Coco Chanel
16. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” — Mother Teresa
17. “Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity.” — Mae Jemison
18. “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” — Attributed to Margaret Thatcher
19. “The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up.” — Serena Williams
20. “Do not wait for someone else to come and speak for you. It's you who can change the world.” — Malala Yousafzai
21. “When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.” — Audre Lorde
22. “One is not born, but becomes a woman.” — Simone de Beauvoir

Independent Women Quotes

1. “I am not a has-been. I am a will be.” — Lauren Bacall
2. “A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.” — Melinda French Gates
3. “I figure, if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one.” — Attributed to Calamity Jane
4. “I don't go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head.” — Princess Diana
5. “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels.” — Maya Angelou
6. “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” — Maya Angelou
7. “Whatever you do, be different — that was the advice my mother gave me, and I can't think of better advice for an entrepreneur.” — Anita Roddick
8. “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” — Estée Lauder
9. “I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else's whim or to someone else's ignorance.” — bell hooks
10. “I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.” — Madonna
11. “I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship.” — Louisa May Alcott
12. “I have a brain and a uterus and I use both.” — Patricia Schroeder
13. “You can be the lead in your own life.” — Kerry Washington
14. “I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” — Diane Ackerman
15. “A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” — Diane Mariechild
16. “I raise up my voice — not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard.” — Malala Yousafzai
17. “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” — Oprah Winfrey
18. “Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?” — Frida Kahlo
19. “If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.” — Katharine Hepburn
20. “Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” — Virginia Woolf
21. “I want to do it because I want to do it.” — Amelia Earhart
22. “I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures.” — Jane Austen

Courageous Women Quotes

1. “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” — Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
2. “Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of.” — Bethany Hamilton
3. “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” — Rosa Parks
4. “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” — Audre Lorde
5. “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
6. “If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?” — Maya Angelou
7. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” — Attributed to E.E. Cummings
8. “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” — Malala Yousafzai
9. “Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you'll be criticized anyway.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
10. “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.” — Maya Angelou
11. “I don't mind living in a man's world, as long as I can be a woman in it.” — Marilyn Monroe
12. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt
13. “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” — Marie Curie
14. “I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.” — Marie Curie
15. “Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” — Nora Ephron
16. “You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you.” — Mary Tyler Moore
17. “I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.” — Harriet Tubman
18. “Women are never stronger than when they arm themselves with their weaknesses.” — Madame Marie du Deffand
19. “I am not sick. I am broken. But I am happy to be alive as long as I can paint.” — Frida Kahlo
20. “Failure is impossible.” — Susan B. Anthony
21. “Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.” — Amelia Earhart
22. “Ain't I a woman?” — Sojourner Truth

Women in Leadership Quotes

1. “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
2. “The best way to change it is to do it. Right? And then become it, and then others follow.” — Amelia Earhart
3. “Don't be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered.” — Michelle Obama
4. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” — Sheryl Sandberg
5. “I didn't get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” — Estée Lauder
6. “If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one.” — Dolly Parton
7. “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” — Maya Angelou
8. “Power's not given to you. You have to take it.” — Beyoncé
9. “I want every girl to know that her voice can change the world.” — Malala Yousafzai
10. “Don't ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility.” — Michelle Obama
11. “I learned to always take on things I'd never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.” — Ginni Rometty
12. “The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves.” — Barbara Corcoran
13. “When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” — Malala Yousafzai
14. “Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don't just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.” — Tina Fey
15. “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
16. “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
17. “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” — Katharine Hepburn
18. “Leadership belongs to those who take it.” — Sheryl Sandberg
19. “I'm not bossy, I'm the boss.” — Beyoncé
20. “A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.” — Gloria Steinem
21. “Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader.” — Indra Nooyi

Resilient Women Quotes

1. “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” — Maya Angelou
2. “Still, like air, I'll rise.” — Maya Angelou
3. “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” — Maya Angelou
4. “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” — Maya Angelou
5. “Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” — J.K. Rowling
6. “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all.” — J.K. Rowling
7. “What is the greatest lesson a woman should learn? That since day one, she's already had everything she needs within herself.” — Rupi Kaur
8. “She stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.” — Elizabeth Edwards
9. “I am not afraid; I was born to do this.” — Joan of Arc
10. “Turn your wounds into wisdom.” — Oprah Winfrey
11. “I'm no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I'm changing the things I cannot accept.” — Angela Davis
12. “I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” — Rosa Parks
13. “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.” — Anaïs Nin
14. “We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” — Marie Curie
15. “There are still many causes worth sacrificing for, so much history yet to be made.” — Michelle Obama
16. “Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose a challenge instead of competence.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
17. “What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.” — Oprah Winfrey
18. “The most beautiful thing a woman can wear is confidence.” — Blake Lively
19. “If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” — Shirley Chisholm
20. “We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead.” — Beyoncé
21. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” — Helen Keller

Self-Love Quotes for Women

1. “Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we will ever do.” — Brené Brown
2. “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.” — Lucille Ball
3. “I was once afraid of people saying, 'Who does she think she is?' Now I have the courage to stand and say, 'This is who I am.'” — Oprah Winfrey
4. “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” — Oprah Winfrey
5. “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” — Coco Chanel
6. “I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career.” — Gloria Steinem
7. “How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.” — Rupi Kaur
8. “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.” — Maya Angelou
9. “Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.” — bell hooks
10. “You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” — Brené Brown
11. “Put on your red lipstick and live a little.” — Queen Latifah
12. “I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for truth — and truth rewarded me.” — Simone de Beauvoir
13. “You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself.” — Diana Ross
14. “I am my own muse. I am the subject I know best. The subject I want to know better.” — Attributed to Frida Kahlo
15. “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” — Attributed to Marilyn Monroe
16. “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” — Dolly Parton
17. “That is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again: Good for her! Not for me.” — Amy Poehler
18. “I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.” — Serena Williams
19. “One friend with whom you have a lot in common is better than three with whom you struggle to find things to talk about.” — Mindy Kaling
20. “Don't you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can't be exactly who you are.” — Lady Gaga
21. “I am learning every day to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be to inspire me and not terrify me.” — Tracee Ellis Ross
22. “One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals.” — Michelle Obama

Confident Women Quotes

1. “Don't compromise yourself. You're all you've got.” — Janis Joplin
2. “Be a first-rate version of yourself, not a second-rate version of someone else.” — Judy Garland
3. “I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want.” — Madonna
4. “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” — Dolly Parton
5. “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.” — Sheryl Sandberg
6. “I don't need Prince Charming to have my own happy ending.” — Attributed to Katy Perry
7. “The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are.” — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
8. “I don't mind if I have to sit on the floor at school. All I want is education.” — Malala Yousafzai
9. “Don't waste your energy trying to change opinions… Do your thing, and don't care if they like it.” — Tina Fey
10. “The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” — Amelia Earhart
11. “Never limit yourself because of others' limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.” — Mae Jemison
12. “Success isn't about how much money you make; it's about the difference you make in people's lives.” — Michelle Obama
13. “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” — Mother Teresa
14. “I've never sought success in order to get fame and money; it's the talent and the passion that count for success.” — Ingrid Bergman
15. “If you don't take a chance, you don't stand a chance.” — Attributed to Indra Nooyi
16. “I want to empower women. I want people to be afraid of the women I dress.” — Diane von Furstenberg
17. “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” — Attributed to Coco Chanel
18. “People haven't always been there for me but music always has.” — Taylor Swift
19. “It's tougher to be vulnerable than to actually be tough.” — Rihanna
20. “I don't make music for eyes. I make music for ears.” — Adele
21. “If you're able to look yourself in the mirror every day with the decisions that you make, that's where power starts.” — Selena Gomez

Ambitious Women Quotes

1. “What would you do if you weren't afraid?” — Sheryl Sandberg
2. “I am not lucky. You know what I am? I am smart, I am talented, I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and I work really, really hard.” — Shonda Rhimes
3. “At the end of the day, don't forget that you're a person, don't forget you're a mother, don't forget you're a wife, don't forget you're a daughter.” — Indra Nooyi
4. “Don't be intimidated by what you don't know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” — Sara Blakely
5. “We need to accept that we won't always make the right decisions, that we'll screw up royally sometimes — understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it's part of success.” — Arianna Huffington
6. “Dreams do come true, but not without the help of others, a good education, a strong work ethic, and the courage to lean in.” — Ursula Burns
7. “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” — Oprah Winfrey
8. “I've learned to always take on things I'd never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.” — Ginni Rometty
9. “My mother would look at me and she'd say, 'Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last.'” — Kamala Harris
10. “I don't like to lose — at anything… yet I've grown most not from victories, but setbacks.” — Serena Williams
11. “Teach girls bravery, not perfection.” — Reshma Saujani
12. “There is no magic to achievement. It's really about hard work, choices, and persistence.” — Michelle Obama
13. “Success is often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable.” — Attributed to Coco Chanel
14. “Rarely are opportunities presented to you in a perfect way. In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top.” — Susan Wojcicki
15. “You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.” — Rosalynn Carter
16. “I think baking cookies is equal to Queen Victoria running an empire. There's no difference to me.” — Martha Stewart
17. “Don't you dare underestimate the power of your own instinct.” — Sophia Amoruso
18. “Talent is distributed equally, but opportunity is not.” — Attributed to Leila Janah
19. “If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.” — Attributed to Anita Roddick
20. “Like what you do, and then you will do your best.” — Katherine Johnson
21. “Science is fun. Science is curiosity. We all have natural curiosity.” — Sally Ride

Wise Words from Strong Women

1. “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
2. “Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
3. “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” — Jane Goodall
4. “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” — Mother Teresa
5. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” — Maya Angelou
6. “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” — Toni Morrison
7. “I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.” — Mary Wollstonecraft
8. “No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
9. “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” — Brené Brown
10. “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” — Maya Angelou
11. “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
12. “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” — Mother Teresa
13. “I could work as much and eat as much as a man — when I could get it — and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman?” — Sojourner Truth
14. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” — Helen Keller
15. “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” — Virginia Woolf
16. “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” — Helen Keller
17. “I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.” — Attributed to Florence Nightingale
18. “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” — Attributed to Louisa May Alcott
19. “I have an almost complete disregard of precedent, and a faith in the possibility of something better.” — Clara Barton
20. “The best protection any woman can have is courage.” — Attributed to Elizabeth Cady Stanton
21. “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

Strong Mothers Quotes

1. “Hugging can do great amounts of good — especially for children.” — Princess Diana
2. “To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power.” — Maya Angelou
3. “To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.” — Barbara Bush
4. “At the end of the day, my most important title is still 'mom-in-chief.'” — Michelle Obama
5. “Children reinvent your world for you.” — Susan Sarandon
6. “A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.” — Agatha Christie
7. “The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.” — Attributed to James E. Faust
8. “When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.” — Sophia Loren
9. “I think every working mom probably feels the same thing: You go through big chunks of time where you're just thinking, 'This is impossible — oh, this is impossible.' And then you just keep going and keep going, and you sort of do the impossible.” — Tina Fey
10. “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” — Rudyard Kipling
11. “If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much.” — Jackie Kennedy
12. “A new baby is like the beginning of all things — wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities.” — Attributed to Eda LeShan
13. “Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.” — Attributed to Marion C. Garretty
14. “A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.” — Attributed to Cardinal Mermillod
15. “The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.” — Honoré de Balzac
16. “A mother is the truest friend we have.” — Attributed to Washington Irving
17. “A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.” — Victor Hugo
18. “When your mother asks, 'Do you want a piece of advice?' it is a mere formality. It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no. You're going to get it anyway.” — Erma Bombeck
19. “Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.” — Attributed to Robert Browning
20. “Motherhood is the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It's huge and scary — it's an act of infinite optimism.” — Gilda Radner
21. “Having children just puts the whole world into perspective. Everything else just disappears.” — Kate Winslet

Feminism and Equality Quotes

1. “I am a feminist. I've been female for a long time now. It'd be stupid not to be on my own side.” — Maya Angelou
2. “Feminism isn't about making women strong. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” — G.D. Anderson
3. “I myself 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
4. “Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.” — Susan B. Anthony
5. “We should all be feminists.” — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
6. “The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says: It's a girl.” — Shirley Chisholm
7. “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.” — Attributed to Gloria Steinem
8. “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!” — Sojourner Truth
9. “Human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights.” — Hillary Clinton
10. “I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” — Sarah Grimké
11. “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” — Audre Lorde
12. “Your silence will not protect you.” — Audre Lorde
13. “I'm not going to limit myself just because people won't accept the fact that I can do something else.” — Dolly Parton
14. “Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings.” — Attributed to Cheris Kramarae
15. “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
16. “The test for whether or not you can hold a job should not be the arrangement of your chromosomes.” — Bella Abzug
17. “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
18. “Do not live someone else's life and someone else's idea of what womanhood is. Womanhood is you.” — Viola Davis
19. “Feminism is not just about women; it's about letting all people lead fuller lives.” — Jane Fonda
20. “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” — Coco Chanel
21. “Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong.” — Emma Watson
22. “Don't think about making women fit the world — think about making the world fit women.” — Gloria Steinem

Overcoming Adversity Quotes

1. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” — Maya Angelou
2. “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
3. “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” — Helen Keller
4. “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.” — Helen Keller
5. “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.” — Emily Dickinson
6. “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” — Audre Lorde
7. “No one is going to hand me success. I must go out and get it myself.” — Marva Collins
8. “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” — Margaret Thatcher
9. “Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it by use.” — Ruth Gordon
10. “The human capacity for burden is like bamboo — far more flexible than you'd ever believe at first glance.” — Jodi Picoult
11. “Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do.” — Ella Fitzgerald
12. “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.” — Marie Curie
13. “I'd rather regret the risks that didn't work out than the chances I didn't take at all.” — Simone Biles
14. “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” — Japanese proverb
15. “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” — Maya Angelou
16. “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.” — Chinese proverb
17. “If you don't get out there and define yourself, you'll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.” — Michelle Obama
18. “Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.” — Amelia Earhart
19. “We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” — Malala Yousafzai
20. “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” — Angela Davis
21. “Nothing will work unless you do.” — Maya Angelou

Short Strong Women Quotes

1. “I will survive.” — Gloria Gaynor
2. “Still I rise.” — Maya Angelou
3. “She believed she could, so she did.” — Attributed to R.S. Grey
4. “This girl is on fire.” — Alicia Keys
5. “Am I good enough? Yes I am.” — Michelle Obama
6. “Do one thing every day that scares you.” — Attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt
7. “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.” — Hillary Clinton
8. “Think like a queen.” — Oprah Winfrey
9. “Nevertheless, she persisted.” — Attributed to Elizabeth Warren
10. “You are your best thing.” — Toni Morrison
11. “You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both.” — Brené Brown
12. “I can do hard things.” — Glennon Doyle
13. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.” — Carrie Fisher
14. “Young girls are told you have to be the delicate princess.” — Emma Watson
15. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
16. “Women are the real architects of society.” — Attributed to Harriet Beecher Stowe
17. “Take your broken heart, make it into art.” — Carrie Fisher
18. “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says I'm possible.” — Audrey Hepburn
19. “Courage starts with showing up.” — Brené Brown
20. “Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up, and make them.” — Madam C.J. Walker
21. “Resentment is like drinking a poison and waiting for the other person to die.” — Attributed to Carrie Fisher

Celebrating Strong Women Quotes

1. “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” — Maya Angelou
2. “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 own dreams.” — Hillary Clinton
3. “Women are leaders everywhere you look — from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
4. “Remember the ladies.” — Abigail Adams
5. “I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves.” — Mary Wollstonecraft
6. “Whether women are better than men I cannot say — but I can say they are certainly no worse.” — Golda Meir
7. “She is clothed in strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” — Proverbs 31:25
8. “Here's to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” — Unknown
9. “Women have always been the strong ones of the world.” — Attributed to Coco Chanel
10. “A really strong woman accepts the war she went through and is ennobled by her scars.” — Carly Simon
11. “I do not believe in using women in combat, because females are too fierce.” — Margaret Mead
12. “She was powerful not because she wasn't scared but because she went on so strongly, despite the fear.” — Attributed to Atticus
13. “The most important thing one woman can do for another is expand her sense of actual possibilities.” — Adrienne Rich
14. “The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.” — Roseanne Barr
15. “I think the key is for women not to set any limits.” — Martina Navratilova
16. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” — Attributed to Harriet Tubman
17. “A strong woman stands up for herself. A stronger woman stands up for everybody else.” — Unknown
18. “I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life.” — Maya Angelou
19. “Who run the world? Girls.” — Beyoncé
20. “Women are always being tested… but ultimately, each of us has to define who we are individually and then do the very best job we can to grow into it.” — Hillary Clinton
21. “Feminism is for everybody.” — bell hooks
22. “I am a strong woman because a strong woman raised me.” — Unknown

How to Use These Strong Women Quotes

These strong women quotes are made to be lived with, not just read once. Start your day with one as a personal mantra before a big meeting, a hard workout, or a difficult conversation. Share the ones that move you with the women in your life — a text at the right moment can change someone’s whole day. Save your favorites as phone wallpapers or journal prompts, and return to them whenever doubt creeps in. Strength grows every time you choose to believe in yourself.

More Empowering Quotes to Explore

If these strong women quotes inspired you, keep the momentum going with our other collections:

• Best Maya Angelou’s most courageous words on rising above
• Best confidence quotes to help you trust yourself fully
• Best courage quotes to face your fears head-on
• Best self-love quotes to remind you of your worth
• Best heartfelt mother quotes honoring strong moms
• Best success quotes to push you toward your goals
• Best motivational quotes for success in work and life
• Best inspirational quotes for work to fuel your career
• Best Instagram captions for girls to shine every day
• Best Mother Teresa’s timeless words on love and kindness
• Best positive vibes quotes to lift your spirit higher
• Best quotes for calm, courage and hope

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most famous strong woman quote?

One of the most quoted is “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water” by Eleanor Roosevelt. It beautifully captures how a woman’s true strength reveals itself in difficult times — a timeless reminder that pressure brings out power.

How can strong women quotes help in daily life?

Strong women quotes work as daily reminders of your own capability. Reading one each morning can shift your mindset before challenges arrive, and sharing them builds up the women around you. Many readers use them as journal prompts, phone wallpapers, or mantras before big moments.

Who are some of the strongest women featured in these quotes?

This collection features voices like Maya Angelou, Eleanor Roosevelt, Malala Yousafzai, Serena Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, and Audre Lorde — leaders, artists, athletes, scientists, and activists whose words have empowered generations.

What is a good short strong woman quote for Instagram?

“She remembered who she was and the game changed” by Lalah Delia is perfect for Instagram — short, powerful, and unforgettable. Other great short options include “Well-behaved women seldom make history” and “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail.”