17 Motivational Quotes from Women You Won’t Forget

Throughout history, women have made extraordinary contributions to the world. In some cases, gender inequalities have reared their ugly head, making it more challenging for females to gain the recognition they deserve for the success they have achieved.

In honor of International Women’s Day 2022, check out the following unforgettable motivational quotes from women who have made an impact across a diversity of fields and interests.

“Once I learned to like me more than others did, then I didn't have to worry about being the funniest or the most popular or the prettiest. I was the best me and I only ever tried to be that.”

- Issa Rae, actress, writer, and producer

“If you don’t see a clear path for what you want, sometimes you have to make it yourself.”

- Mindy Kaling, actress, comedienne, producer, and author

“I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles.”

- Audrey Hepburn, British actress and humanitarian

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.”

- Billie Jean King, Hall of Fame tennis star and activist for gender equality and social justice

“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, deaf-blind author, speaker, and activist for disability rights and gender equality

“Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.”

- Amelia Earhart, aviator who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the continental U.S.

“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”

- Margaret Thatcher, former British prime minister

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”

- Dolly Parton, country music artist and actress

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”

- Judy Garland, actress

“I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all.”

- Simone Biles, Olympian in gymnastics

“Women are leaders everywhere you look—from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household. Our country was built by strong women, and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes.”

- Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House and politician

"Learn to embrace your own unique beauty, celebrate your unique gifts with confidence. Your imperfections are actually a gift.”

- Kerry Washington, actress

“We must reject not only the stereotypes that others hold of us, but also the stereotypes that we hold of ourselves.”

- Shirley Chisholm, politician, educator, and author

“Women are like teabags. We don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water.”

- Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady

“I am learning every day to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be to inspire me and not terrify me.”

- Tracee Ellis Ross, actress

“Ignore the glass ceiling and do your work. If you’re focusing on the glass ceiling, focusing on what you don’t have, focusing on the limitations, then you will be limited.”

- Ava DuVernay, filmmaker

“Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire.”

- Oprah Winfrey, TV personality, author, and actress