157 Inspirational Quotes for Women

Throughout history, women all over the world have fought for rights and respect. Today, the ladies have it better than they used to in the past, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.

While the struggle for equality continues, there are also many reasons to celebrate. Leaving aside everyone’s personal achievements, women should be celebrated for simply being women. For being able to create life, for being the pillar of strength for their family and many others around them, and (why not) for being a source of artistic inspiration.

Another reason to celebrate women is their capacity to juggle multiple roles. It seems impossible to build a career, raise children and take good care of your household at the same time. Yet so many women somehow do it -- they are the everyday superheroes.

Whatever role or roles you’ve taken on as a woman, you deserve appreciation. In this regard, we’ve handpicked a list of inspirational quotes to encourage you to become stronger and better every day.

Here are 157 Inspirational quotes for women -- entrepreneurs and bosses

Inspirational quotes for Women's Day

Here’s to strong women: May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.

UNKNOWN

Where there is a woman, there is magic.

NTOZAKE SHANGE

I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men, they are far superior and always have been.

WILLIAM GOLDING

Women are made to be loved, not understood.

OSCAR WILDE

Women are the nourishing power of the Universe. 

AMIT RAY

Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.

HILLARY CLINTON

A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.

DIANE MARIECHILD

Do not live someone else’s life and someone else’s idea of what womanhood is. Womanhood is you. Womanhood is everything that’s inside of you.

VIOLA DAVIS

God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.

RUDYARD KIPLING

A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.

VICTOR HUGO

There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

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

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.

MARIE CURIE

You make the world come alive. You make the world colorful. You are the inspiration behind all that happens. You are the pillar of strength to many around you, the centrifugal force of your own little world, called family. 

DEEBA SALIM IRFAN

Inspirational quotes for women to be strong

Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted. 

CHRISTINE CAINE

Well-behaved women rarely make history.

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT (more Eleanor Roosevelt quotes)

A charming woman doesn’t follow the crowd; she is herself.

LORETTA YOUNG

The best protection any woman can have is courage.

ELIZABETH CADY STANTON

You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it.

UNKNOWN

A girl should be two things: Who and what she wants.

COCO CHANEL

She wasn’t looking for a knight. She was looking for a sword.

ATTICUS 

There’s nothing a man can do that I can’t do better and in heels.

GINGER ROGERS

Above all, be the heroine of your life. Not the victim.

NORA EPHRON

Strong women don’t play the victim. Don’t make themselves look pitiful and don’t point fingers. They stand and they deal.

MANDY HALE

Women are never stronger than when they arm themselves with their weaknesses.

MADAME MARIE DU DEFFAND

Girls should never be afraid to be smart.

EMMA WATSON

Life is tough, my darling, but so are you.

STEPHANIE BENNETT-HENRY

A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink.

GINA CAREY

Sometimes it’s the princess who kills the dragon and saves the prince.

SAMUEL LOWE

She wore her scars as her best attire. A stunning dress made of hellfire.

DANIEL SAINT

You don’t have to play masculine to be a strong woman.

MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD

She believed she could, so she did.

UNKNOWN

A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.

MELINDA GATES

I can and I will. Watch me.

CARRIE GREEN

A strong woman is a woman determined to do something others are determined not be done.

MARGE PIERCY

There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.

W.E.B. DUBOIS

Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.

MAYA ANGELOU

There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself.

HANNAH GADSBY

A strong woman stands up for herself. A stronger woman stands up for everyone else.

UNKNOWN

Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.

G.D. ANDERSON

You can always tell who the strong women are. They are the ones you see building one another up instead of tearing each other down.

UNKNOWN 

She overcame everything that was meant to destroy her.

RUMI 

The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who’s going to stop me.

AYN RAND

Cinderella never asked for a prince. She asked for a night off and a dress.

KIERA CASS

I’m tough, I’m ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a b***h, okay.

MADONNA

It’s okay if you fall down and lose your spark. Just make sure that when you get back up, you rise as the whole damn fire.

COLETTE WERDEN

I like to play a strong woman, but a strong woman can also be very fragile and vulnerable at the same time.

CARICE VAN HOUTEN

A woman is like a tea bag: You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

I know what I bring to the table… So trust me when I say I’m not afraid to eat alone.

UNKNOWN

And one day she discovered that she was fierce and strong and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back, because her passion burned brighter than her fears.

MARK ANTHONY

A really strong woman accepts the war she went through and is ennobled by her scars.

CARLY SIMON

She remembered who she was and the game changed.

LALAH DELIAH

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 (more Audrey Hepburn quotes)

Inspirational quotes for religious women

Imagine how differently you might approach each day by simply stating: God is good. God is good to me. God is good at being God. And today is yet another page in our great love story.  

LYSA TERKEURST

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.

 A.W. TOZER

Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God. 

LEO BUSCAGLIA

I am content to fill a little space if God be glorified.  

SUSANNA WESLEY

Never imagine that what you do for others or what you do in private doesn’t matter. It counts more than we know. God watches how we steward what is not our own before He entrusts us with more.  

LISA BEVERE

The prayers we weave into the matching of socks, the stirring of oatmeal, the reading of stories, they survive fire.  

ANN VOSKAMP

I did my best, and God did the rest.

HATTIE MCDANIEL

I am not in control, but I am deeply loved by the One who is.  

GLENN PACKIAM

We need days of failure because they help humble us, and through them we can see how God’s grace is poured out on the humble.

 ELYSE FITZPATRICK

Never doubt God in the darkness what he has given us in the light.

FRANCINE RIVERS

Leave it all in the Hands that were wounded for you.  

ELISABETH ELLIOT

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.  

CORRIE TEN BOOM

Inspirational quotes for female bosses

My mom said to me: ‘You know sweetheart, one day you should settle down and marry a rich man’. I said: ‘Mom, I am a rich man.’

CHER

In politics, if you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.

MARGARET THATCHER

In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.

TINA FEY

Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.

MARGARET THATCHER

Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.

OPRAH WINFREY

When you exude confidence, others will naturally follow you. Once you have built that self-confidence, make it your priority to lead by example.  

KENDRA SCOTT

Just because you are CEO, don't think you have landed. You must continually increase your learning, the way you think, and the way you approach the organization.  

INDRA NOOYI

I learned to always take on things I'd never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.  

GINNI ROMETTY

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT 

To tell a woman everything she cannot do is to tell her what she can.

SPANISH PROVERB

Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.

MICHELLE OBAMA

Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.

SHERYL SANDBERG (more Sheryl Sandberg quotes)

You need to have unbound enthusiasm for what you’re building. Energy is contagious, so your team and everyone you interact with feels it.  

TYLER HANEY

People respond well to those that are sure of what they want. What people hate most is indecision. Even if I'm completely unsure, I'll pretend I know exactly what I'm talking about and make a decision.  

ANNA WINTOUR

Of course I am not worried about intimidating men. The type of man who will be intimidated by me is exactly the type of man I have no interest in.

CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE

I just love bossy women. I could be around them all day. To me, bossy is not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody’s passionate and engaged and ambitious and doesn’t mind learning.

AMY POEHLER

Sometimes you gotta be a beauty and a beast.  

NICKI MINAJ

Life-fulfilling work is never about the money -- when you feel true passion for something, you instinctively find ways to nurture it.  

EILEEN FISHER

It’s easy to kill an idea with a no, but the smartest people in the room learn how to say yes and make it work.  

LISA GERSH

There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.  

BRENÉ BROWN

Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.

 TINA FEY

I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger.  

SERENA WILLIAMS

Money follows art. Money wants what it can’t buy: class and talent. And remember, while there’s a talent for making money, it takes real talent to know how to spend it.  

CANDACE BUSHNELL

Rarely is happiness about the materialistic items. Those are awesome to have and money is something you need to sustain yourself, but for me I’ve realized money doesn’t make someone happy.  

ELLEN BENNETT

Inspirational life quotes for women

I don’t believe in charmed lives. I think that tragedy is part of the lesson you learn to lift yourself up, to pick yourself up and to move on.

CHARLIZE THERON (more Charlize Theron quotes)

When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.  

SHAUNA NIEQUIST

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched  they must be felt with the heart. 

HELEN KELLER

To wear your heart on your sleeve isn’t a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best.

MARGARET THATCHER

One of the most courageous things you can do is identify yourself, know who you are, what you believe in and where you want to go.

SHEILA MURRAY BETHEL

Discover what you love to do, what you were created to do, and then do it for the people around you with love. That is the abundant life, dear girl, no matter where in the world you live.  

ROBIN JONES GUNN

Women have to take the time to focus on our mental health -- take time for self, for the spiritual, without feeling guilty or selfish.

BEYONCE (more Beyonce quotes)

A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows she has none. ​

MARILYN MONROE

No ordinary work done by a man is either as hard or as responsible as the work of a woman who is bringing up a family of small children; for upon her time and strength demands are made not only every hour of the day but often every hour of the night.  

TEDDY ROOSEVELT

I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t think about you at all.

COCO CHANEL

You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.

BRIGHAM YOUNG

Now I know that the best thing I can offer to this world is not my force or energy, but a well-tended spirit, a wise and brave soul.  

SHAUNA NIEQUIST

I think it's great to be flawed. I am hugely flawed, and I like it this way. That's the fun of life. You fall, get up, make mistakes, learn from them, be human and be you.  

PRIYANKA CHOPRA

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.

OSCAR WILDE

Now I know. Only love can save this world. So I stay. I fight, and I give… for the world I know can be. This is my mission, now. Forever.

WONDER WOMAN (more Wonder Woman quotes)

The age of a woman doesn’t mean a thing. The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles.

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Be a first-rate version of yourself, not a second-rate version of someone else.

JUDY GARLAND

If you're not where you want to be in life, don't get discouraged. Remember where you are is not your destiny.  

SHARITA HUMPHREY

Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day. 

ALICE MORSE EARLE

I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves.

MARY SHELLEY

What we women need to do, instead of worrying about what we don’t have is just love what we do have.

CAMERON DIAZ

I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.

ROSA PARKS

After all those years as a woman hearing, ‘not thin enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not this enough, not that enough,’ almost overnight I woke up one morning and thought, ‘I am enough.’

ANNA QUINDLEN

Women are incredible in groups together. Terrifying. Men have nothing on them.

MICHAEL HUTCHENCE

Women have been trained to speak softly and carry a lipstick. Those days are over.

BELLA ABZUG

Women’s value has been under-recognized for far too long.

SIDNEY SHELDON

The most important work you ever do will be within the walls of your own home.  

HAROLD B. LEE

What’s the greatest lesson a woman should learn? That since day one, she’s already had everything she needs within herself. It’s the world that convinced her she did not.

RUPI KAUR

Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.  

FRANCIS CHAN

The most beautiful thing a woman can wear is confidence.

BLAKE LIVELY

A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do. A woman must do what he can’t.

RHONDA HANSOME

I want every girl to know that her voice can change the world.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

Be healthy and take care of yourself, but be happy with the beautiful things that make you, you.

BEYONCE

Anyone could see that this woman is living a nightmare. Except that she goes through her daily life wide awake, knowing that she could make a mistake at any moment.

NÚRIA AÑÓ

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

AMELIA EARHART

A woman should be like a single flower, not a whole bouquet.

ANNA HELD

Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry.

GLORIA STEINEM

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.  

CORRIE TEN BOOM

Our homes, imperfect as they are, must be a haven from the chaos outside. They should be a reflection of our eternal home, where troubled souls find peace, weary hearts find rest, hungry bodies find refreshment, lonely pilgrims find communion, and wounded spirits find compassion. 

JANI ORTLUND

The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only  and that is to support the ultimate career.   

C.S. LEWIS

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.

KATHERINE HEPBURN

We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.

MARGARET FULLER

Inspirational quotes for female entrepreneurs

There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.

MICHELLE OBAMA

We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead.

BEYONCE

I don’t think you can create anything interesting from a comfort zone. You have to work from a place of fear and failure.

CHARLIZE THERON

Women are the real architects of society.

CHER

Some women choose to follow men, and some choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that you career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore.

LADY GAGA

In our society, the women who break down barriers are those who ignore limits.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

When you learn how much you’re worth, you’ll stop giving people discounts.  ​

HELEN KELLER

I will not let anyone scare me out of my full potential.

NICKI MINAJ

Every woman I know, particularly the senior ones, has been called too aggressive at work. We know in gender blind studies that men are more aggressive in their offices than women. We know that. Yet we’re busy telling all the women that they’re too aggressive. That’s the issue.

SHERYL SANDBERG

Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be. 

ELIZABETH GILBERT

If you’re too comfortable, it’s time to move on. Terrified of what’s next? You’re on the right track.  

SUSAN FALES HILL

Know that you can start late, look different, be uncertain and still succeed.  

UNKNOWN

Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.  

J.K. ROWLING

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.   

A.A. MILNE

We need to get women to the point where they aren’t apologizing. It’s time to take ownership in our success.  

TORY BURCH

A successful woman is one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at her.

UNKNOWN 

Be so good they can’t ignore you.

STEVE MARTIN

I think success needs to be defined on your own terms. If you look to outside sources (friends, media, the internet) for constant validation, you will never feel fulfilled.  

JACLYN JOHNSON

You can do anything you want, just not everything. Pick what you want, work harder than most to get it, and believe in yourself.  

DAINA TROUT

Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live  

MAE JEMISON

When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail and both are equally important.  

ELLEN DEGENERES

You won’t know until you try. Create without fear. If you mess up, who cares? You learn and move on.  

MICHELLE MCHARGUE

Most of the reason we don't do things is because we're afraid to fail. I just made a decision one day that I was not going to do things in my life because of fear.  

SARA BLAKELY

Even if your dream seems unattainable, you can achieve it if you stay focused, driven, and diligent.  

REBECCA MINKOFF

It’s really hard to start a business if you don’t care about it. At the margin, when it’s 2am, it has to be that passion that pushes you forward.  

KATRINA LAKE