Women Inspiring Women Quotes & Sayings

There are already a number of gatherings centered around women of color who are doing inspiring work. — Kerry Washington

We ought to encourage, build and strengthen one another. — Lailah Gifty Akita

If God is male, then male is God. The divine patriarch castrates women as long as he is allowed to live on in the human imagination. — Mary Daly

A woman who has found her match with respect to depth of soul and who has quenched her thirst with her children is no different than the women of Paradise, and the home structured around such a person is no different than the gardens of Paradise. And it is no wonder that her children, who grow up savoring affection in the shelter of this paradise, will be no different than heavenly beings. Indeed those who are fortunate enough to be raised in such an atmosphere of affection will live in state of otherworldy joy as if they have been exalted to the heavens, inspiring high spirits all around through their smiles. — M. Fethullah Gulen

There can be no finer example of the inspiring powers of competition to shatter the status quo than Hungary's Judit Polgar. — Garry Kasparov

To all the women I say, don't ask to be saved by anyone, "my brave baghinis" (tigresses). Remember, if you deem yourselves as sheeps, men will treat you as such, but if you deem yourselves as tigresses, then you are the ones who will shape humanity. — Abhijit Naskar

There's only one problem with the hero's journey, it never included women. — Elizabeth Gilbert

Nordie's at Noon is an honest and inspiring testament to [these authors'] experiences which, I am completely confident ... will inspire thousands of women as it inspired me. — Elizabeth Edwards

In the future, women, rather than men, will be the ones to change the world. — Malala Yousafzai

The purpose of this overview is not to reject previous ideas and images about Mary, many of which were and still are inspiring and comforting to people. Rather, the hope is that as we have rediscovered scripture since Vatican II, we can view Mary as a strong Jewish woman, a model who can inspire women in the twenty-first century. — Mary Christine Athans

Entrepreneurs stand out from the rest of the pack because they are not afraid to take big risks and they aim to please no one except the people who truly matter. — Kathryn Finney

Any life he'd ever heard of, his own included, was burdened with emotions - love, loss, jobs, jealousy, money, death, pain. But if you were Jewish, always there was this extra one, the added pull at your endurance, the one more thing. There was that line in Thoreau about 'quiet desperation' - that was indeed true of most men. But for some men and women, for some fathers and mothers and children, the world still contrived that one extra test, endless and unrelenting. — Laura Z. Hobson

But there is nothing a man might not do, with you to encourage him. You make me wish to be a hero." He laughed, but Hester did not laugh. She gave him a keen look, in which there was a touch of disdain. " Do you really think," she said, " that the charm of inspiring, as you call it, is what any reasonable creature would prefer to doing? To make somebody else a hero rather than be a hero yourself? Women would need to be disinterested indeed if they like that best. I don't see it. Besides, we are not in the days of chivalry. What could you be inspired to do - make better bargains on your Stock Exchange? — Mrs. Oliphant

The most obvious ones inspiring me are probably women in political life. There are also many women in artistic endeavors, but if they're painters, you don't necessarily see them, or if they're actors, you see the role they're playing. In political life, you see women of enormous courage and smarts and humor, and that releases the talent, especially in little girls who are watching. — Gloria Steinem

I love that feeling of inspiring other women. — Cheryl Cole

Men think it's a women's word. But what it means is that you believe in equality, and if you stand for equality, then you're a feminist. Sorry to tell you. You're a feminist. You're a feminist. That's it. — Emma Watson

No woman is really an insider in the institutions fathered by masculine consciousness. When we allow ourselves to believe we are, we lose touch with parts of ourselves defined as unacceptable by that consciousness; with the vital toughness and visionary strength of the angry grandmothers, the fierce market women of the Ibo's Women's War, the marriage-resisting women silk workers of pre-Revolutionary China, the millions of widows, midwives, and the women healers tortured and burned as witches for three centuries in Europe. — Adrienne Rich

One of the secrets to staying young is to always do things you don't know how to do, to keep learning. — Ruth Reichl

Maybe I'm a bad feminist, but I am deeply committed to the issues important to the feminist movement. I have strong opinions about misogyny, institutional sexism that consistently places women at a disadvantage, the inequity in pay, the cult of beauty and thinness, the repeated attacks on reproductive freedom, violence against women, and on and on. I am as committed to fighting fiercely for equality as I am committed to disrupting the notion that there is an essential feminism. — Roxane Gay

People associate feminism with hate - with man hate - and that's really negative. I don't think that's what feminism is about at all - it's really positive. I think that's why women became reluctant to use the word. — Emma Watson

It's inspiring, I think, for women out there to see I'm a regular person. I am the every woman who's struggled with my weight. — Ricki Lake

Seek women mentors. If you're a businesswoman, look at the TEDx conferences. There's a lot of businesswomen that speak on there. I find them extremely inspiring. — Jane Fonda

If I stop to kick every barking dog I am not going to get where I'm going. — Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Gender equality, historically has been predominantly a women's movement for women. But I think the impact of gender inequality and how it's affecting men hasn't really been addressed. — Emma Watson

Women are just so much tougher and more patient than men are - their capacity for empathy blows me away. And their capacity to deal with stress for long periods of time is also kind of awe inspiring. — Aaron Lazar

Fashion is an art. — Lailah Gifty Akita

I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say my mom. Apart from the fact that she's my mother, she's a brilliant comedian and a force as a producer. She paved the way for women to produce and star in their own films, and to balance that with being the matriarch of our family is really inspiring. — Kate Hudson

I wish I could have known Barbara Bodichon
and her whole vibrant circle of smart, fearless women friends. I'd like to gather them all around the dinner table, along with a few smart, fearless friends of my own. We'd open a bottle of wine and sit back to to hear their stories
marveling at all the things that have changed, and commiserating about all the things that haven't. And then we'd tell them thank you. We'd tell them that we never take for granted the rights they fought so hard for. And that we hope we, too, can make the world just a little better for the ones who follow after. — Terri Windling

Self-growth does not always mean that we've changed. It means that we've stopped listening to what others say we 'ought' to be doing and finally live our lives according to our own values. — Anthea Syrokou

We ask justice, we ask equality, we ask that all the civil and political rights that belong to citizens of the United States, be guaranteed to us and our daughters forever. — Susan B. Anthony

I like to think that I represent myself as a strong woman, so to work with other strong women I find very inspiring. — Annabelle Wallis

Instead of inspiring the gallant attentions which other women seek, she made men dream, — Honore De Balzac

War is not women's history. — Virginia Woolf

i am a woman
and i am alone,
and i cannot tell
which one of the two
i love being more. — AVA.

There is no greater pillar of stability than a strong, free and educated woman, and there is no more inspiring role model than a man who respects and cherishes women and champions their leadership. — Angelina Jolie

Seeing what is wrong and how it could be made right propels us into action, but in that action we often leave other people behind and don't give ourselves enough time to be present, or to stop and reflect. Leaders have to get comfortable with pausing in that uncomfortable gap. — Jennifer Lawrence

Make no mistake. This is a war on rural America ... It is chilling to watch people who joined the military to defend American citizens point rifles on American soil at American citizens and women and children. A sniper rifle is not due process. — Matt Shea

Why have I spent so long settling for less when I know damn well the world expects more? — Taylor Jenkins Reid

As far as I can make out, women's friendships with each other are based on a gush of lies and pretty speeches that mean nothing. You'd think they were all wolves trying to seduce each other the way they flatter and flirt when they're together. — Marilyn Monroe

Women asking for raises should not only know their value, but they should ask with the confidence that they're helping the company to be successful. — Kirsten Gillibrand

Live the dream awake. — Tia Walker

I love women like Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton, who kind of go out on a limb and do their own thing. I find it very inspiring and it allows you to do what you want to do. — Malin Akerman

When Hillary was First Lady, we went to the Beijing Women's Conference. She courageously stood up and spoke out on behalf of human rights and women's rights, inspiring millions to fight for a better future. — Madeleine Albright

There is something incredibly beautiful about a woman, who knows herself, she can't break, she just falls but in every fall she rises, past who she was before. — Nikki Rowe

Girls Who Rocked the World is full of inspiring stories about young women who demonstrate that people of all ages have the power to create change in the world. — Midori Goto

The more we see ourselves as a vibrant, successful, inspiring person who boldly declares and manifests her vision, the more we become just that. — Kristi Bowman

I have stood on a mountain of no's for one yes. — B. Smith

I absolutely adore and idolise women. All women. I think they are all amazing. The female musicians I've met have been far more inspiring than the male ones. Women tend to be much more creative and ambitious. I think I may have been a woman in a past life. — Robert Plant

God forbid, men should be jealous of knowledge as they are jealous of women. — Umar

You are the one that possesses the keys to your being. You carry the passport to your own happiness. — Diane Von Furstenberg

A critical issue for women is the possibility to be a mother and the ability to participate fully in the workforce. — Erna Solberg

A Path Appears is an insightful book focused on how individuals can contribute to positive change and the remarkable people behind the organizations that make it happen. The authors' desire to motivate people to support good causes, learn about the situation in other countries, and find the best way to help their fellow men and women is inspiring. — Angelina Jolie

We have different experiences, but trans women have experiences that do parallel with the whole fabric of what womanhood is. Embracing trans women, listening to their stories, enriches what womanhood is. It expands it and makes it even better. — Janet Mock

Fernanda Andrade and Daphne Zuniga are two beautiful, inspiring women I met and became very close with while living in L.A. Daphne's father is from Central America, and Fernanda is originally from Brazil. — Torrey DeVitto

So much of what I do is about inspiring and empowering women. — Bobbi Brown

Women's stories are as powerful, inspiring, and terrifying as the goddess herself. And in fact, these are the stories of the goddess. As women, we know her because we are her. Each woman, no matter how powerless she might feel, is a cell within her vast form, an embodiment of her essence, and each woman's story is a chapter in the biography of the sacred feminine. — Jalaja Bonheim

My 94-year-old grandmother has always been so inspiring to me. She is kind, smart, brave, and independent. After graduating number one in her medical school class at a time when it was extremely rare for women to attend medical school, she worked with the World Health Organization in North Africa to eradicate tuberculosis. — Kelsey Chow

Women give life! That on its own is inspiring.Besides, women are prettier than men. — Jujubee

[May] this civic and social landmark [the Washington, D.C., Jewish Community Center] ... be a constant reminder of the inspiring service that has been rendered to civilization by men and women of the Jewish faith. May [visitors] recall the long array of those who have been eminent in statecraft, in science, in literature, in art, in the professions, in business, in finance, in philanthropy and in the spiritual life of the world. — Calvin Coolidge

Go to inspirational meetings, get to know men and women who are doing inspiring things. Above all, run as hard as you can from the cynics and gripers and the negativists. They are not going anywhere. You are. — Norman Vincent Peale

I should be an affected women, if I made any pretence of being surprised by my son's inspiring such emotions; but I can't be indifferent to anyone who is so sensible on his merits — Charles Dickens

So I grew up feeling that I wasn't good enough, and that no-one would love me unless I was perfect. But no-one's perfect, we're not meant to be perfect. We're meant to be complete. But it's hard to be complete if you're trying to be perfect, so you kind of become disembodied. And I spent a lot of my life that way.""And if you don't own your strength ... Women like me tend to always look over their shoulder to see who ... "Who's the leader? Who's the smart one?" Never thinking it might be ME. Took a long time for me to get over that. — Jane Fonda

I love watching Rihanna in fashion. I like to see her take chances and risks. I like seeing Naomi Campbell in the forefront. They're both women who stand out and use their bodies as canvases to introduce this functional art to the world. They carry it in a way that is very inspiring. — Erykah Badu

I'm passionate about cooking. I'm passionate about healthy eating. I'm passionate about inspiring other women. — Tia Mowry

My inbox is now bulging with touching emails from young women scientists who have been kind enough to write and thank me for inspiring them and helping them on their way. It has also been of great comfort to me to see many women at the top of science testifying for my record in supporting women scientists. — Tim Hunt

Here are young women with more opportunities, more liberties than almost any women in history and at that moment we tell them they're short-changed silenced victims of a patriarchy? It's defeatist and demoralising. — Christina Hoff Sommers

You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them. — Shonda Rhimes

[When asked about Writing Conferences]
You meet people that will change your life. — Susan Wingate

...the locale did not make him think of her, nor did most things. He felt no negativity about the time they had spent together, but simply did not dwell on it much. She had been a seat filler, memorable as the smiling face of a beautiful girl in the window of a passing train, inspiring a fleeting moment of joy and promise, immediately forgotten with the opening of that day's newspaper. — Roy L. Pickering Jr.

Are You Listening Attentively? There's so much power in listening! I challenge you to listen more. Really pay attention to what people are saying. What are they REALLY talking about? Many times we overlook and/or make excuses for people's conversations. Don't allow people to dump garbage in your spirit. What we listen to can have a negative effect on what, and how, we think. Be choosy about the relationships you entertain. Surround yourself with people that bring out the best in you. People that are positive, inspiring, and genuine. Remember: Value your time! Don't waste it on dead-end and/or fake relationships. — Stephanie Lahart

And as a character, what I found very inspiring about playing Dharma, especially at that time, is that the women on television were more neurotic than they were free. And I thought, this is a rare bird and this is unique on television and I think it's really refreshing. — Jenna Elfman

I have been watching how Indian women are forced to do certain things, as the stories of sacrifice and devotion in mythology demand from them. And then there are inspiring stories about women like the Rani of Jhansi that offer women refreshing role models. — Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

I am thrilled to be working with Lane Bryant on this collaboration. Designing apparel women can feel confident and beautiful in has been a long-standing pillar of the Lela Rose brand, and we are looking forward to bringing our designs to Lane Bryant's inspiring base of customers. — Lela Rose

The world obviously needs to change ... if we can't protect our innocent women and children, then we have a serious problem. — Mark Wahlberg

Technology has brought many possibilities in education and health that are key to women. — Paul Kagame

Womanhood is a flourishing flower. — Lailah Gifty Akita

Women are the beauties of life. — Lailah Gifty Akita

[Women photographers] provide an inspiring reminder to all women that the choice to see, or be seen, is ours. We live in a culture in which this decision is undermined by the notion that the single most valuable contribution a woman can make is to be visually attractive. Women photographers make a strong case for seeing and an even stronger case for recording what you see. — Diane Keaton

Black men and women who refuse to live under oppression are dangerous to white society because they become symbols of hope to their brothers and sisters, inspiring them to follow their example. — Huey Newton

There are many female gods recognized and honored by the tribes and Nations. Femaleness was highly valued, both respected and feared, and all social institutions reflected this attitude. Even modern sayings, such as the Cheyenne statement that a people is not conquered until the hearts of the women are on the ground, express the Indians understanding that without the power of woman the people will not live, but with it, they will endure and prosper. — Paula Gunn Allen