Though the world is beginning to see and value women differently, there is still a long way to go before there is actual gender equality. You may get much-needed support and hope that better days are coming from other strong women when it seems like the deck is stacked against you and your fellow women.

Although your real-life support network is a great source of motivation, these statements about women’s empowerment will also inspire you to keep breaking through the persistent glass barrier. Below, strong women who make a difference for themselves and future generations—such as Maya Angelou, Serena Williams, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Dolly Parton—illustrate that concept.

These inspiring quotations from female pioneers, well-known figures, and feminist trailblazers can inspire you to keep up the good fight, whether you’re searching for something to post in celebration of Women’s History Month or just need some extra encouragement. Once you’ve had your fill, continue blazing that path by following in the footsteps of the ladies who came before you!

  • “Barriers will come down as women gain power. We will all benefit from more women accomplishing things as they become more visible to society and as women become more aware of their own abilities.” O’Connor, Sandra Day
  • “Girls can do whatever males can accomplish. They may sometimes be more imaginative than males.” — Johnson Katherine
  • “Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top; it is the willpower that is most important.” Tabei Junko
  • “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.” Maya Angelou
  • “Women, whether subtly or vociferously, have always been a tremendous power in the destiny of the world.” Eleanor Roosevelt, “The Women Must Decide”
  • It’s not important to be flawless. It doesn’t matter where you ultimately end up. It has power to own your own narrative, to speak with authenticity, and to let others know and hear you.” From “Becoming” by Michelle Obama.
  • “I never imagined achieving success. I put effort into it. Estée Lauder
  • “A woman is strong by definition if she has a voice.” Melinda Gates
  • “I try not to let other people take or steal a little bit of my own joy,” — Hoda Kotb
  • “Wherever choices are made, women have a place. Women shouldn’t have to be the exception. Ginsburg, Ruth Bader
  • “Work for women is never clean and never easy.” ― Tayari Jones, “An American Marriage”
  • “You are unaware of the past challenges, resiliency, and strength of attractive, gregarious women. What is on display is all that you see. Germany Kent
  • Think like a royalty. A queen doesn’t mind failing. Another step on the path to greatness is failure. Oprah Winfrey
  • “A woman who is a dominant force in a society dominated by men has a unique quality. To never accept no as an answer requires a particular kind of elegance, bravery, courage, wisdom, and fearlessness. ― Rihanna
  • “I’ve made the decision to stop feeling guilty about being a woman. And because I deserve it, I want to be valued for all that makes me a woman. The quote “We Should All Be Feminists” comes from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
  • The goal of feminism is not to empower women. Women are powerful already; what has to change is how the outside world views them. ― G.D. Anderson
  • “I raise my voice to make people without a voice heard, not so that I may yell… When half of us are kept behind, none of us can prosper.” ― Malala Yousafzai
  • “I’ve never been able to define feminism precisely; all I know is that when I voice opinions that set me apart from a doormat, people label me a feminist.” Rebecca West
  • “You teach a man, you teach a man.” You teach a generation when you educate a lady.Brigham Young
  • “I won’t be silent now that I have a voice, even though it took me a while to develop one.” Albright, Madeleine
  • “The accomplishments that women can achieve are boundless.” Michelle Obama
  •  “We need women to reshape the conversation, change the dynamic, and ensure that women’s voices are heard and taken seriously rather than disregarded.” Sheryl Sandberg
  • Ensuring that being courteous does not equate to remaining silent is the goal of justice. In fact, shaking the table is often the most moral thing you can do. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria
  • Probably more than any other group, black women have had to expand their understanding of our culture. They had to comprehend black men, white women, and white men. Additionally, they had to comprehend who they were. The accomplishments of black women benefit almost every aspect of society. † Angela Davis
  • “If women share the gift of reason with men, then who established man as the sole arbiter?” Wollstonecraft, Mary
  • “There is always another great woman behind every great woman.” ― Kate Hodges
  • “Nobody minds if a woman thinks about a man as long as she does.” Woolf, Virginia (1988), “Orlando”
  • “Men should reconsider before viewing widowhood as the sole route for women to achieve power.” Gloria Steinem
  • “Being a person, I accept the title of lousy feminist. I’m disorganized. I’m not attempting to set a precedent. I’m not aiming for excellence. I’m not claiming to be an expert on anything. I’m not attempting to prove that I’m correct. I’m simply trying to do the right thing, stand by my convictions, and be myself while simultaneously attempting to write and make a difference in the world. ― Roxane Gay
  • “Even though the shackles she wears are very different from mine, I am not free while any woman is unfree.” ― Audre Lorde
  • “A woman who does not have control over her own body cannot claim to be free.” † Margaret Sanger
  • “A woman has already given up her agency—her ability to define herself—if she believes she needs someone or anything else to justify and validate her existence.” bell hooks, Everyone Should Adopt Feminism: Emotional Politics
  • “No woman should ever be made to feel as though she is insufficient.” Samantha Shannon’s work, “The Priory of the Orange Tree”
  • “I refuse to let people’s rejection of my ability to pursue other interests limit me.”― Dolly Parton
  • We only have one life, which we live according to our beliefs. However, living without religion and sacrificing who you are is a sentence worse than death. ― Joan of Arc
  • Women are more than just hearts; they are brains and souls. They are not only beautiful, but they also possess skill and ambition. I’m so tired of hearing people claim that a woman is only suitable for love. Author Louisa May Alcott, “Little Women”
  • Strength and beauty go hand in hand. The rising lady will be strong-minded, strong-hearted, strong-souled, and strong-bodied. Author Louisa May Alcott, “An Old-Fashioned Girl”
  • Show her that the concept of “gender roles” is completely absurd. Never tell her that just because she’s a female, she should or shouldn’t do anything. “Just because you’re a girl” is never a valid excuse. At all times.” Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi “Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions”
  • “When a woman defends herself, she defends all women—even if she isn’t aware of it or doesn’t claim it.” ― Maya Angelou
  • “Some women are born leaders.” Geraldine Ferraro
  • “I am both a woman and a fighter. You’ve been duped if you believe that I can’t be both. **Joukhadar, Jennifer Zeynab, “The Map of Salt and Stars”
  • “Women refusing to be victims is feminism, not ‘women as victims,'” Gloria Steinem, “The Trouble With Rich Women”
  • “If a nation denies half of its citizens their contributions and suppresses the potential of its women, it will never be able to truly prosper.” Michelle Obama
  • “I don’t think it’s shameful to be a woman, so I’m not ashamed to dress ‘like a woman.” ‶ Iggy Pop
  • “One woman’s accomplishment ought to serve as an example for another. When we support one another, we are most powerful. Serena Williams
  • “The strongest people in thestrongest have inways been women.” … Coco Chanel
  • “Countless opportunities to be rejected, tumble,r be pdown,cally assaulted a;e not important; what matters is the nu, of tbrave,you er the courage to get back up and carry on.” … Lady Gaga
  • “The belief that women can’t have it all is the biggest barrier for them.” Cathy Engelbert
  •  “A woman’s strength is hidden until you put her in hot water, just like with a tea bag.” Eleanor Roosevelt (née
  • “A girl ought to be who she is and what she desires.” — Chanel, Coco

March is dedicated to honoring women from all eras who have made history and who continue to advance discourse by dispelling myths, igniting discussions, and motivating the next generation.