Coco Chanel once remarked, "Women have always been the strong ones of the world."
It's a message that still holds true today. Why? Because women are inherently built with strength, perseverance and character. In honor of Women's History Month, we've gathered together a list of empowering strong women quotes to use however you see fit.
Included in this collection of inspiring messages are luminaries like Michelle Obama, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Madeleine Albright and Maya Angelou who once said, "Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women."
It's a powerful message, as are all these meaningful quotes that honor and recognize women's courage and their countless contributions, like civil rights activist Rosa Parks, whose decision to stand her ground would go on to change the course of history.
“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it’s right," Parks memorably said.
Whether you're aspiring to reach a personal goal, reminding a friend or loved one to stand strong in the face of adversity, or simply reading for inspiration, you're bound to find plenty of keepers among this compilation of motivating quotes from these mighty women.
After all, in many ways, it's words that can help us not only effect change in our own lives, but ultimately help shape the world.
Short strong women quotes
- “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” ― Oprah Winfrey
- “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
- “Behind every great woman ... is another great woman.” ― Kate Hodges
- “I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.”― Dolly Parton
- “Some leaders are born women.” ― Geraldine Ferraro
- “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” — Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
- “Am I good enough? Yes, I am.” ― Michelle Obama, “Becoming”
- “I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man.” — Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I A Woman?”
- “Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.” — Amelia Earhart, “Courage”
- “Her own thoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions.” — Jane Austen, “Mansfield Park”
- “I may be the first woman member of Congress, but I won’t be the last.” — Jeannette Rankin
- “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” ― Maya Angelou
- “Women have always been the strong ones of the world.” ― Coco Chanel
- “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it’s right.” — Rosa Parks
- “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- “We are here, not because we are lawbreakers; we are here in our efforts to be law-makers.” — Emmeline Pankhurst, “My Own Story”
- “What I want young women and girls to know is: You are powerful and your voice matters.” — Kamala Harris
- “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” — Serena Williams
- “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
- “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” — Angela Davis
- “A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman.” — Melinda French Gates
- “Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.” — Margaret Thatcher
- “Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood.” — Marie Curie
- “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” — Helen Keller, “Let Us Have Faith”
- “As women achieve power, the barriers will fall.” — Sandra Day O’Connor, “Women in Power”
- “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.” — Lucille Ball
- “Don’t mistake politeness for lack of strength.” — Sonia Sotomayor, “My Beloved World”
- “I am a woman’s rights.” — Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I A Woman?”
- “If you do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.” — Katharine Hepburn
- “Ignite the mind’s spark to rise the sun in you.” — Florence Nightingale
Confident women quotes to inspire you
- “Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.” — Rosa Parks
- “I am like a falling star who has finally found her place next to another in a lovely constellation, where we will sparkle in the heavens forever.” ― Amy Tan
- “It’s not about being perfect. It’s not about where you get yourself in the end. There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice.” ―Michelle Obama, “Becoming”
- “In politics, If you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.” — Margaret Thatcher
- “How shall we explain to them the meaning of democracy if the same Congress that voted for war to make the world safe for democracy refuses to give this small measure of democracy to the women of our country?” — Jeannette Rankin
- “Alone she goes to the gates of death to give life to every man that is born into the world.” — Elizabeth Stanton, “Solitude of Self"
- “The problems of our time will be solved only when all of the best mind, conscience and talent in the community are brought to their solution.” — Jane Addams, “Speech on Woman Suffrage”
- “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- “Women, whether subtly or vociferously, have always been a tremendous power in the destiny of the world.” — Eleanor Roosevelt, “It’s Up to the Women”
- “Life is about finding yourself, embracing your strengths and weaknesses, and being true to who you are.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “The love expressed between women is particular and powerful because we have had to love in order to live; love has been our survival.” — Audre Lorde, “Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches”
- “We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” — Marie Curie
- “It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, but we’ve made it! We’ve made it — all of us.” — Ketanji Brown Jackson, Supreme Court confirmation speech
- “The easiest way to disregard a woman’s voice is to package her as a scold.” — Michelle Obama, “Becoming”
- “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.” — Maya Angelou
- “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- “My daily challenge to myself is to be part of the solution, to be a joyful warrior in the battle to come.” — Kamala Harris
- “For one thing we know beyond all doubt: Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.’” — Eleanor Roosevelt
- “The future of life as we know it is being determined by everything we’re doing — and not doing. Now.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “When I dare to be powerful — to use my strength in the service of my vision — then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” — Audre Lorde
- “No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land.” — Helen Keller, “Optimism: An Essay”
- “When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you till it seems as if you couldn’t hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that’s just the place and time that the tide’ll turn.” — Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Oldtown Folks”
- “As society sees what women can do, as women see what women can do, there will be more women out there doing things, and we’ll all be better off for it.” — Sandra Day O’Connor, “Women in Power”
- “Chance is the first step you take, luck is what comes afterward.” — Amy Tan, “The Kitchen God’s Wife”
- “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” — Maya Angelou
