It’s time to talk about the F-word. In 2021, it’s no longer a scarlet letter to unabashedly brand yourself as a feminist—and thank the cosmic forces for that. Still, the road to genuine gender equality (along with all the important nuances in between, intersecting with the power dynamics of race, class, sexuality, and more) is a long and constantly shifting one. Read on to get inspired by the words of the trailblazing women who said it best.
We’ve put together 50 uplifting quotes from some of the most brilliant women who have done extraordinary work in their respected fields. These women empowerment quotes represent values of grace, strength, and power, and will leave you feeling invincible.
50 Empowering Feminist Quotes From Inspiring Women
- “I raise up my voice – not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard…we cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” – Malala Yousafzai
- “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” – Maya Angelou
- “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
- “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “I’ve got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me because I don’t want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones; I’d rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny – a thousand things, before “thin.” ” – J.K. Rowling
- “I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated, and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values.” – Ellen DeGeneres
- “I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” – Estée Lauder
- “Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” – Serena Williams
- “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
- “How wrong is it for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself?” – Anaïs Nin
- “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” – Coco Chanel
- “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker
- “You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.” – Shonda Rhimes
- “I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femininity. And I want to be respected in all my femaleness. Because I deserve to be.” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- “It is so liberating to really know what I want, what truly makes me happy, what I will not tolerate. I have learned that it is no one else’s job to take care of me but me.” – Beyoncé
- “I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.” – Emma Stone
- “Women don’t need to find a voice, they have a voice, and they need to feel empowered to use it, and people need to be encouraged to listen.” – Meghan Markle
- “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” – Audre Lorde
- “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
- “I believe the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century.” – Hillary Clinton
[ Read: What Is Intersectional Feminism And Why Do We Need It? ]
- “We need to live in a culture that values and respects and looks up to and idolizes women as much as men.” – Emma Watson
- “Do not live someone else’s life and someone else’s idea of what womanhood is. Womanhood is you.” – Viola Davis
- “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “If we understood the power of our thoughts, we would guard them more closely. If we understood the awesome power of our words, we would prefer silence to almost anything negative. In our thoughts and words, we create our own weaknesses and our own strengths. Our limitations and joys begin in our hearts. We can always replace negative with positive.” – Betty Eadie
- “My coach said I run like a girl. And I said if he ran a little faster, he could too.” – Mia Hamm
- “Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.” – Tina Fey
- “I know what I want, I have a goal, an opinion… Let me be myself and then I am satisfied. I know that I’m a woman, a woman with inward strength and plenty of courage.” – Anne Frank
- “I hate to hear you talk about women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm water all our lives.” – Jane Austen
- “Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” – Nora Ephron
- “Love who you are, embrace who you are. Love yourself. When you love yourself, people can kind of pick up on that: they can see confidence, they can see self-esteem, and naturally, people gravitate towards you.” – Lilly Singh
- “Women have to harness their power – it’s absolutely 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
- “As women, we have to start appreciating our own worth and each other’s worth. Seek out strong women to befriend, to align yourself with, to learn from, to collaborate with, to be inspired by, to support, and enlightened by.” – Madonna
- “I never want to be called the funniest Indian female comedian that exists. I feel like I can go head-to-head with the best white male comedy writers that are out there. Why would I want to self-categorize myself into a smaller group than I’m able to compete in?” – Mindy Kaling
- “A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” – Diane Mariechild
- “Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it by use.” – Ruth Gordon
- “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
- “That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman?” – Sojourner Truth
- “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
- “Of all the nasty outcomes predicted for women’s liberation … none was more alarming than the suggestion that women would eventually become just like men.” – Barbara Ehrenreich
- “By propagating women’s nature as non-violent they are discouraging women from becoming fighters in the struggle for their own liberation and that of society.” – Anuradha Ghandy
- “I think transwomen, and transpeople in general, show everyone that you can define what it means to be a man or woman on your own terms. A lot of what feminism is about is moving outside of roles and moving outside of expectations of who and what you’re supposed to be to live a more authentic life.” – Laverne Cox
- “Black women have had to develop a larger vision of our society than perhaps any other group. They have had to understand white men, white women, and black men. And they have had to understand themselves. When black women win victories, it is a boost for virtually every segment of society.” – Angela Davis
- “For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action.” – Audre Lorde
- “A revolutionary woman can’t have no reactionary man.” – Assata Shakur
- “When a woman is assaulted, one of the first questions people ask is, Did you say no? This question assumes that the answer was 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
- “There is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” – Virginia Woolf
- “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” – Arundhati Roy
- “‘Very well,’ I said angrily, ‘Start the man, and I’ll start the same day for some other newspaper and beat him.'” – Nellie Bly
- “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
- Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe you must become its soul. –Coretta Scott King
That was our round-up of 50 women empowerment quotes from powerful women. Positive words hold tremendous power. They have the ability to bring healing and strength when life gets tough. These words will help you stay calm and allow you to focus on what’s truly important. Which quote resonates with you the most? Let us know in the comments below.
