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62 Uplifting Quotes from Famous Women
These inspiring quotes from trailblazing women serve as a reminder to us all that we can overcome daunting challenges, both personal and professional.
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These inspiring quotes from trailblazing women serve as a reminder to us all that we can overcome daunting challenges, both personal and professional. Women are prominent members of the business world, founding innovative companies, introducing revolutionary new ideas and building a path to workforce equity. To provide a boost of inspiration for those making large and small changes every day, we’ve curated this list of inspiring quotes from powerful women.
These words of wisdom offer guidance for navigating professional challenges, building confidence, and embracing leadership opportunities. Whether you’re launching a business, seeking motivation, or supporting others in their journey, these quotes provide the encouragement needed to persevere through difficult times and celebrate achievements along the way.
[Related article: How to Celebrate National Women’s Small Business Month]
Inspiring Quotes From Women Who Uplift & Motivate
“Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It’s the mastery of fear. It’s about getting up one more time than we fall down.” – Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post and CEO of Thrive Global
“People don’t take opportunities because the timing is bad, the financial side unsecure. Too many people are overanalyzing. Sometimes you just have to go for it.” – Michelle Zatlyn, Co-founder of Cloudflare
“There are many things you can do overnight, but there is no overnight success.” – Tory Burch, fashion designer, businesswoman and philanthropist
“Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently.” – Marie Forleo, entrepreneur, writer and philanthropist
“One of the most important things I have learned is that businesses don’t fail, entrepreneurs give up. Now sometimes, giving up is the right decision. But usually, you just need to dig in and figure out how to make things better. Remember: Every day is a new opportunity to get up and do it better than yesterday!” – Adda Birnir, founder of Skillcrush
“Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” – Golda Meir, first female prime minister of Israel
“I wake up every morning and think to myself, ‘How far can I push the company forward in the next 24 hours?'” – Leah Busque, founder and CEO of TaskRabbit
“Whatever it is that you think you want to do, and whatever it is that you think stands between you and that, stop making excuses. You can do anything.” – Katia Beauchamp, co-founder and CEO of Birchbox
Famous Female Quotes From History & Modern Trailblazers
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady of the United States, diplomat and activist
“You should never let your fears prevent you from doing what you know is right.” – Aung San Suu Kyi, human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former state counselor of Myanmar
“Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.” – Sandra Day O’Connor, first woman appointed to the Supreme Court
“If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, first female head of state in Africa
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall, English primatologist and anthropologist
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” – Coco Chanel, French fashion designer
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King, American tennis player who fought for equal prize money for female athletes
“You can have it all. Just not all at once.” – Oprah Winfrey, television personality
“I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women.” – Nora Ephron, American journalist, writer and filmmaker
“There are no ugly women, only lazy ones.” – Helena Rubinstein, Polish-American businesswoman who started one of the world’s first cosmetic companies
“None of us can know what we are capable of until we are tested.” – Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman to graduate from medical school in the U.S.
“I want little girls to grow up knowing they can do anything, even play football.” – Jen Welter, first female coach in the NFL
“I have never, ever focused on the negative of things. I always look at the positive.” – Sonia Sotomayor, first Latina Supreme Court justice
“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules and build a life you’re proud to live.” – Anne Sweeney, American businesswoman and former co-chair of Disney Media
Uplifting Female Quotes to Share with Women in Your Life
“Do not bring people in your life who weigh you down, and trust your instincts. Good relationships feel good. They feel right. They don’t hurt. They’re not painful. That’s not just with somebody you want to marry, but it’s with the friends you choose. It’s with the people you surround yourself with.” – Michelle Obama, former first lady of the United States
“We must develop a thick skin. With an unshakeable sense of self — and a commitment to being compassionate — nothing will faze you.” – Mari Smith, social media marketer known as the “Facebook Queen”
“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.” – Gertrude Stein, American novelist
“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, American politician, diplomat, lawyer, writer and public speaker
“When I’m hungry, I eat. When I’m thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it.” – Madonna, American entertainer and first female billionaire of pop music
“To love what you do and feel like it matters — how could anything be more fun?” – Katharine Graham, first American female Fortune 500 CEO
“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.” – Maya Angelou, American poet, memoirist and civil rights activist
“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.” – Florence Nightingale, British nurse, social reformer and statistician
“I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career.” – Gloria Steinem, feminist journalist and social activist
“Invite people into your life that don’t look or think like you.” – Mellody Hobson, president and co-CEO of Ariel Investments
Quotes About Leadership, Resilience & Empowerment
“As a leader, it’s a major responsibility on your shoulders to practice the behavior you want others to follow.” – Himanshu Bhatia, founder and CEO of Rose International
“Define goal. Take action. Stay focused. Expect success. Nothing less.” – Michele Ruiz, entrepreneur, bilingual communication specialist, author and keynote speaker
“Build your business success around something that you love — something that is inherently and endlessly interesting to you.” – Martha Stewart, businesswoman, writer and television personality
“The most successful entrepreneurs I know are optimistic. It’s part of the job description.” – Caterina Fake, founder of Flickr
“People respond well to those that are sure of what they want.” – Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue
“I think the girl who is able to earn her own living and pay her own way should be as happy as anybody on Earth. The sense of independence and security is very sweet.” – Susan B. Anthony, women’s rights activist and social reformer
“Don’t cut off your career branches too early. Don’t step away from your career based on what ‘might’ happen.” – Mary Barra, chairwoman and CEO of General Motors
“If you’re not making some notable mistakes along the way, you’re certainly not taking enough business and career chances.” – Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest
“I was taught to strive, not because there were any guarantees of success, but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith with life.” – Madeleine Albright, first female U.S. secretary of state
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.” – Harriet Tubman, abolitionist and political activist
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. Be faithful in small things, because it is in them that your strength lies.” – Mother Teresa, Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary
“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.” – Marie Curie, Polish-French physicist and first female Nobel Prize winner
“There are lots of opportunities out there for women to work in these fields; girls just need support, encouragement and mentoring to follow through with the sciences.” – Sally Ride, first American woman to fly to space
“Some leaders are born women.” – Geraldine Ferraro, first female vice presidential candidate in the U.S.
“To stay ahead, you must have your next idea waiting in the wings.” – Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard business professor and director of the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative
“Each person must live their life as a model for others.” – Rosa Parks, civil rights activist
“There are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.” – Indira Gandhi, former prime minister of India
“Do not be afraid to make decisions. Do not be afraid to make mistakes.” – Carly Fiorina, first female CEO of a Fortune 20 company
“I always want to make films. I think of it as a great opportunity to comment on the world in which we live.” – Kathryn Bigelow, first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director
“I know society says you should be a certain way, but I think [you should] stop and look at what is your natural way of being who you are.” – Ari Horie, founder of Women’s Startup Lab
“What sets you apart can sometimes feel like a burden, and it’s not. And a lot of the time, it’s what makes you great.” – Emma Stone, Academy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress
“The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of a mistake.” – Meg Whitman, CEO of Quibi
“If we are going to be part of the solution, we have to engage the problems.” – Majora Carter, urban revitalization strategist
“You create opportunities by performing, not complaining.” – Muriel Siebert, first female member of the New York Stock Exchange
“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” – Rosalynn Carter, American writer and activist who served as first lady of the United States
“Decide … whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying.” – Amelia Earhart, aviation pioneer and author
“No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank, Jewish diarist who wrote about her family’s time in hiding during the German occupation in World War II
“If you need the user to tell you what you’re selling, then you don’t know what you’re selling, and it’s probably not going to be a good experience.” – Marissa Mayer, businesswoman, investor and former CEO of Yahoo
“Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder.” – Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Facebook and author of “Lean In”
“If you follow your heart, if you listen to your gut and if you extend your hand to help another — not for any agenda, but for the sake of humanity — you are going to find the truth.” – Erin Brockovich, legal clerk, consumer advocate and environmental activist
How to Use These Quotes in Your Life or Work
These powerful words can serve multiple purposes in both personal and professional settings. Consider incorporating them into team meetings as motivational openers, using them in presentations to inspire colleagues, or sharing them on social media to uplift your network. Many business leaders find success in displaying meaningful quotes in their workspace as daily reminders of their goals and values.
For entrepreneurs and small business owners, these quotes can provide encouragement during challenging periods and remind you that success often comes from persistence rather than perfection. Consider keeping a collection of your favorites readily accessible for moments when you need motivation or perspective.
When mentoring others, these quotes offer wisdom from women who have faced similar challenges and overcome significant obstacles. They can spark meaningful conversations about leadership, resilience, and the importance of supporting one another in professional endeavors.
Derek Walter contributed to this article.
