What does it mean to be a strong woman? French writer and feminist Simone de Beauvoir believed that true female strength comes from every woman's ability "not to escape herself but to find herself, not to abase herself but to assert herself." These words send a powerful message to stand tall in the face of challenges and remain true to yourself.
The following inspirational quotes offer a personal fountain of feminist wisdom, gender equality principles, and actionable insights for women's empowerment. Ready to turn these empowering words into action? Start with bite-sized insights from the world's top books you can find on the Headway app.
Quotes on strength & inner power
Power and resilience are forged through downfalls. So, when life knocks you down, the only way up is to regain your inner strength. Here are some great quotes from stories of women who pursued leadership and devoted their lives to honing their growth through self-help practices:
"Knowledge is light, and it helps us see the world better." — Tara Westover, 'Educated'
Learn more about the power of education and knowledge in the summary of 'Educated' by Tara Westover on the Headway app.
2 "Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye." — Helen Keller
"Surround yourself only with people who are going to take you higher." ― Oprah Winfrey
"I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it." — Maya Angelou
"Women are never stronger than when they arm themselves with their weaknesses." — Madame Marie du Deffand
"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud." — Coco Chanel
"Strong women don't have 'attitudes', we have standards." — Marilyn Monroe
"Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace." — Amelia Earhart
"Don't waste your energy trying to change opinions... Do your thing, and don't care if they like it." — Tina Fey
"When they go low, we go high." — Michelle Obama, 'Becoming'.
Get more details in the summary of 'Becoming' by Michelle Obama on the Headway app.
11 "You have to believe in yourself when no one else does." — Serena Williams
"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 not me, who? If not now, when?" — Emma Watson
"I understand a woman's need to have something for herself." — Jill Biden
"If we can learn to deal with our discomfort and just relax into it we'll have a better life." — Mellody Hobson
"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
"The spirit of hope, inner strength, enthusiasm and persistent determination are the pillars for any success." ― Lailah Gifty Akita
"The world needs strong women—women who will lift and build others, who will love and be loved, women who live bravely, both tender and fierce, women of indomitable will." — Amy Tenney
"You have to rely on whatever sparks you have inside." ― Lisa Kleypas
"We cannot afford to be divided; we cannot afford to be silent." — Mikki Kendall, 'Hood Feminism'
Check out more in the summary of 'Hood Feminism' by Mikki Kendall on the Headway app.
21 "I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong." — Audrey Hepburn
"If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one." — Dolly Parton
"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." — Angela Davis
"Where there is a woman, there is magic." — Ntozake Shange
"Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." — Judy Garland
"Sometimes you don't realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness." — Susan Gale
"A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture, and transform." — Diane Mariechild
"A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman." — Melinda Gates
"Being strong helps us survive bad times. Being brave allows us to change our future." ― Autumn Jones Lake
"The king may rule the kingdom, but it's the queen who moves the board." — D. M. Timney
"Whatever you do, be different. If you're different, you will stand out." — Anita Roddick
"I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity." — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"Females are the most beautiful, gorgeous creatures in the whole world." — Alicia Keys
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples." — Mother Teresa
"For me, words are a form of action, capable of influencing change." — Ingrid Bengis
"I am woman, hear me roar." — Helen Reddy
"You are not a victim. You are a victor." — Rachel Hollis, 'Didn't See That Coming'
Find essential tips on handling life's challenges in the summary of 'Didn't See That Coming' by Rachel Hollis on the Headway app.
Quotes on leadership & ambition
"This is a man's world," as the famous song goes. But the growing number of female leaders worldwide proves otherwise. The list of empowering confidence quotes below is your sign to turn the tables and embrace your inner boss:
38 "In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders." — Sheryl Sandberg, 'Lean In'
Gain top leadership tips from a business visionary in the summary of 'Lean In' by Sheryl Sandberg on the Headway app.
39 "Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do." ― Oprah Winfrey
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." — Eleanor Roosevelt
"I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves." — Hillary Clinton
"If you want to lift up humanity, empower women. It is the most high-leverage investment you can make in human beings." ― Melinda Gates
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity." ― Amelia Earhart
"I never dreamed about success. I worked for it." — Estée Lauder
"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman." — Margaret Thatcher
"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
"The lesson being that in life you control what you can." ― Michelle Obama, 'Becoming'
Explore more in the summary of 'Becoming' by Michelle Obama on the Headway app.
48 "Good done anywhere is good done everywhere." — Maya Angelou
"If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair." — Shirley Chisholm
"As women achieve power, the barriers will fall." — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
"You only have one job in life, and that is to be yourself." — Diane von Furstenberg
"The most alluring thing a woman can have is confidence." — Beyoncé Knowles
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." — Sally Berger
"Don't think about making women fit the world — think about making the world fit women." — Gloria Steinem
"Bring your whole self to the experience." — Bozoma Saint John
"You just have to trust each other and believe in the vision and keep going back to your fundamental idea — and it's a great adventure." — Sana Amanat
"Whomever you become, whatever you make yourself into, that is who you always were." ― Tara Westover, 'Educated'
Get a fuller picture in the summary of 'Educated' by Tara Westover on the Headway app.
58 "I don't go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head." — Princess Diana
"All of the important decisions about your career will be made when you are not in the room." — Carla Harris
"Don't follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you." — Margaret Thatcher
"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." — Warren Bennis
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." — Mahatma Gandhi
"Ambition is enthusiasm with a purpose." — Franklin D. Roosevelt
"It's not what you achieve, it's what you overcome. That's what defines your career." — Carlton Fisk
"I am not afraid… I was born to do this." — Joan of Arc
"The world needs your unique path; chart it fearlessly." ― Maheshika Halbeisen
"If women can birth the world, women can run the world." ― Abhijit Naskar
"Never sell your soul to buy their validation." ― Liz Faublas
"Dear Woman, when you are in position of power, it becomes your moral obligation to help rise other women around you." ― Pavithra Urs
"Write the story of your life. Sharpen your pencil, freshen the ink and get to it." ― Megan Hine
"Be fearless. Be tenacious. Go after what you want. Be a leader. Take control." ― Liz Faublas
"The lion knows that its survival depends on the bravery, courage, and strength of the lioness." ― Mitta Xinindlu
"I am proud to be a woman and I celebrate the qualities that I have as a woman." ― Idowu Koyenikan
"Wealth is more often the result of a lifestyle of hard work, perseverance, planning, and, most of all, self-discipline." — Thomas J. Stanley, 'The Millionaire Next Door'
Find the secret formula of success in the summary of 'The Millionaire Next Door' by Thomas J. Stanley on the Headway app.
Quotes on feminism & equity
For decades, pioneering women's rights advocates like Rosa Parks, Audre Lorde, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Gloria Steinem promoted feminism and amplified the voices of the oppressed. Today, their motivational words still hold power and timeless wisdom:
75 "There's power in allowing yourself to be known and heard." ― Michelle Obama, 'Becoming'
Draw inspiration from life-changing truths on power in the summary of 'Becoming' by Michelle Obama on the Headway app.
76 "Human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights." — Hillary Clinton
"A wise woman wishes to be no one's enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone's victim." — Maya Angelou
"Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others." — Amelia Earhart
"Each person must live their life as a model for others." — Rosa Parks
"I want every girl to know that her voice can change the world." — Malala Yousafzai
"I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own." — Audre Lorde
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." — Alice Walker
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." — Anaïs Nin
"The only way to get through the pain is to face it head-on." — Rachel Hollis, 'Didn't See That Coming'
Find out more in the summary of 'Didn't See That Coming' by Rachel Hollis on the Headway app.
85 "It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you ― always." ― Oprah Winfrey
"The fundamental purpose of feminism is that women should have equal opportunity and equal rights with every other citizen." ― Eleanor Roosevelt
"Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you." — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
"Women's freedom is a definition of whole world empowerment." — Shaa Zainol
"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." — Ayn Rand
"A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men." — Gloria Steinem
"We realize the importance of our voices only when they are silenced." — Malala Yousafzai
"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." — Katharine Hepburn
"The best protection any woman can have is courage." — Elizabeth Cady Stanton
"Financial independence is the ability to live from the income of your own personal resources." — Thomas J. Stanley, 'The Millionaire Next Door'
Learn how to handle your finances in the summary of 'The Millionaire Next Door' by Thomas J. Stanley on the Headway app.
95 "I fight for what I believe in until I drop dead. And that's what keeps you alive." — Barbara Castle
"Until we get equality in education, we won't have an equal society." — Sonia Sotomayor
"Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less." — Susan B. Anthony
"We are all bound up together in one great bundle of humanity." — Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
"If you're offered a seat on a rocket ship, don't ask what seat! Just get on." — Sheryl Sandberg, 'Lean In'
Explore further in the summary of 'Lean In' by Sheryl Sandberg on the Headway app.
100 "If women want any rights more than they're got, why don't they just take them, and not be talking about it." — Sojourner Truth
"Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one's soul." — Josephine Baker
"I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures." — Jane Austen
"To terrify children with the image of hell, to consider women an inferior creation." ― Christopher Hitchens
"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman."― Simone de Beauvoir
"Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it." ― George Carlin
"Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings." ― Cheris Kramarae
"I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay." ― Madonna
"People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat." ― Rebecca West
"Equality is not a concept. It's not something we should be striving for." ― Joss Whedon
"I'm so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for." ― Louisa May Alcott
"Feminism is not a club for white women to tell other women how to live." — Mikki Kendall, 'Hood Feminism'
Uncover more about the intersection of feminism and modern culture in the summary of 'Hood Feminism' by Mikki Kendall on the Headway app.
Go beyond quotes: Discover the books behind the wisdom on Headway
Modern literature and classic feminist texts contain timeless wisdom on gender equality, women's history, social justice, women's health, resilience, and self-confidence. If you're not sure where to start, get key insights from short book summaries in Headway's library first. Instead of wading through lengthy texts, you can access clear, focused takeaways that you can grasp in one take!
Download our Headway app to feel empowered and motivated for personal growth!
