50 Inspirational Quotes from 50 Inspirational Women

The world celebrated "International Women's Day" on Wednesday (8th March) so I thought I'd share some inspiring words spoken by some truly inspirational women, this week.

June 20, 2023

I’m sure you heard in the news that it was “International Women’s Day” on Wednesday (8th March).

And this week, across the world, people have been celebrating the fantastic females in their lives; from mothers and daughters, to employees and co-workers.

So today, I thought this would be a great opportunity to share some brilliant and inspiring words, spoken by some truly inspirational women.

Enjoy and Happy Friday.

(Those of you who don’t believe in “International Women’s Day” for whatever reason; you can still just enjoy some of these inspiring quotes by some really inspirational women).

50 Great Quotes from Inspirational Women

1. “Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.” Arianna Huffington

2. “Without an open-minded mind, you can never be a great success.” Martha Stewart

3. “If you do things well, do them better. Be daring, be first, be different, be just.” Anita Roddick

4. “I may be kindly, I am ordinarily gentle, but in my line of business I am obliged to will terribly what I will at all.” Catherine the Great

5. “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says “I’m possible!” Audrey Hepburn

6. “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

7. "Buckle up, and know that it’s going to be a tremendous amount of work, but embrace it." Tory Burch

8. “I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realise I should have been more specific.” Lily Tomlin

9. “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” Katharine Hepburn

10. “I’m tough, I’m ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.” Madonna

11. "Power's not given to you. You have to take it." Beyoncé

12. “We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.” Abigail Adams

13. “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

14. “Great events make me quiet and calm; it is only trifles that irritate my nerves.” Queen Victoria

15. “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” George Eliot

16. “I attribute my success to this – I never gave or took any excuse.” Florence Nightingale

17. “Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for it.” Katharine Whitehorn

18. “I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.” Maya Angelou

19. “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

20. “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.” Sheryl Sandberg

21. “I’ll probably never fully become what I wanted to be when I grew up, but that’s probably because I wanted to be a ninja princess.” Cassandra Duffy

22. "You grow up the day you have your first real laugh at yourself." Ethel Barrymore

23. “Even a stopped clock is right twice every day. After some years, it can boast of a long series of successes.” Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach

24. “I always feel … the movement is a sort of mosaic. Each of us puts in one little stone, and then you get a great mosaic at the end.” Alice Paul

25.“When life gives you lemons, squirt someone in the eye.” Cathy Guisewite

26. “Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.” Marilyn Monroe

27. “Age is of no importance unless you’re a cheese.” Billie Burke

28. “Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got. There is no yesterday, no tomorrow, it’s all the same day.” Janis Joplin

29. “Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you.” Hillary Clinton

30. “The question isn’t who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me.” Ayn Rand

31. “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

32. “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” Amelia Earhart

33. “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” Gloria Steinem

34. “Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be.” Elizabeth Gilbert

35. “It’s not your job to like me, it’s mine.” Byron Katie

36. “Do you really want to look back on your life and see how wonderful it could have been had you not been afraid to live in?” Caroline Myss

37. “Giving up doesn’t always mean you’re weak. Sometimes you’re just strong enough to let go.” Taylor Swift

38. “A feminist is a person who believes in the power of women just as much as they believe in the power of anyone else. It’s equality, it’s fairness, and I think it’s a great thing to be a part of.” Zendaya

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

40. “Bad decisions make good stories.” Ellis Vidler

41. “Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway.” Mary Kay Ash

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

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

44. “A good compromise is one where everybody makes a contribution.” Angela Merkel

45. "When we're growing up there are all sorts of people telling us what to do when really what we need is space to work out who to be." Ellen Page

46. “Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” Nora Ephron

47. “When you embrace your difference, your DNA, your look or heritage or religion or your unusual name, that’s when you start to shine.” Bethenny Frankel

48. "We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back." Malala Yousafzai

49. "In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders." Sheryl Sandberg

50. “Don’t look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.” Anne Lamott

Feeling inspired?

I do hope you enjoyed and felt inspired by these brilliant quotes.

If you did, then I’m pretty sure you’ll also enjoy these great articles:

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