500 Inspirational Leadership Quotes By Powerful Women (2023)
1. “I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.” — Virginia Rometty, CEO of IBM
2. “Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top; it is the willpower that is most important.” – Junko Tabei, first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest
3. The question isn't who's going to let me; it's who is going to stop me. -Ayn Rand
4. You take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing, no one to blame. -Erica Jong
5. The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to help somebody else get it first. -Iyanla Vanzant
6. “Don’t waste a single second. Just move forward as fast as you can, and go for it.” -- Rebecca Woodcock
7. “It is our choices, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” -- J.K Rowling
8. “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” -- Gloria Steinem, Journalist and Activist
9. “Leadership is not a person or a position. It is a complex moral relationship between people based on trust, obligation, commitment, emotion, and a shared vision of the good. ”—Joanne Ciulla
10. “A good leader is able to paint a picture of a vision for the future and then enlist others to go on the journey with her. A truly conscious leader recognizes that it is not about her, but that the team is looking to her for inspiration and direction. Keeping her ego in check is essential. ”
11. “We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis. […] And if solutions within the system are so impossible to find, then maybe we should change the system itself?” – Greta Thunberg, climate change activist
12. “My father had a simple test that helps me measure my own leadership quotient: When you are out of the office, he once asked me, does your staff carry on remarkable well without you?"—Martha Peak
13. “Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.”
14. “I wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. ”
15. “Leadership manifests itself at different times in different ways. And as a leader you need to figure out what role you need to play in each situation.”
16. “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 leading.” -- Amy Poehler
17. “Abandon anything about your life and habits that might be holding you back.” – Sophia Amoruso, Founder of Nasty Gal
18. “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness. ” — Oprah
19. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples. ”—Mother Teresa
20. “Every moment wasted looking back, keeps us from moving forward…In this world and the world of tomorrow, we must go forward together or not at all.” – Hillary Clinton
21. “I am a woman and a warrior. If you think I can't be both, you've been lied to.”
22. “I don’t want to think about what I’m leaving. I just think about who I am every single day behind closed doors and behind cameras. And that’s what I focus on.”
23. “Feminism is not just about women; it’s about letting all people live fuller lives.”
24. “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” – Audre Lorde, Poet, Writer, and Activist
25. “Walt Disney told his crew to ‘build the castle first’ when constructing Disney World, knowing that vision would continue to serve as motivation throughout the project. Oftentimes when people fail to achieve what they want in life, it’s because their vision isn’t strong enough.” – Gail Blanke, President and CEO of Lifedesigns
26. “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” - Ayn Rand
27. 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
28. “No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.” -- Michelle Obama
29. A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be. -Rosalynn Carter
30. “You don’t have to be pretty. You don’t owe prettiness to anyone. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked ‘female.'”
31. Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. -Anais Nin
32. “Who you are surrounded by often determines who you become. ”
33. “Women have always been the strong ones of the world. The men are always seeking from women a little pillow to put their heads down on. They are always longing for the mother who held them as infants. ” ― Coco Chanel
34. “The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves.” – Barbara Corcoran, Founder of The Corcoran Group
35. Leadership is the ability to guide others without force into a direction or decision that leaves them still feeling empowered and accomplished.—Lisa Cash Hanson
36. “I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head.” -- Princess Diana
37. “The next decade cannot be a decade of confrontation and contention. It cannot be East vs. West. It cannot be men vs. women. It cannot be Islam vs. Christianity. That is what the enemies of dialogue want.” – Benazir Bhutto
38. “Your value will be not what you know; it will be what you share.”
39. “Passion is the log that keeps the fire of purpose blazing.” – Oprah Winfrey
40. “There's power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice.” – Michelle Obama
41. “I raise up my voice not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard… We cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” – Malala Yousazai, Activist
42. Women lead in different ways. Women rarely feel the need to speak the most at a meeting to make their point.—Patricia Bellinger
43. “Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose a challenge instead of competence.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
44. “She was powerful not because she wasn’t scared but because she went on so strongly, despite the fear. ” – Atticus
45. “People respond well to those that are sure of what they want.” – Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief, Vogue
46. “We all make mistakes, and life throws us all curveballs. The critical thing is how we deal with them.”
47. “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”—Coco Chanel, founder of Chanel
48. “Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.”
49. “She didn’t play the game, she changed the game! She stayed true to herself and never compromised her integrity. Her success was built on HER own terms.”
50. “We must lead with the power of our womanly knowingness and let new careers take shape around it.”
51. “Doubt is a killer. You just have to know who you are and what you stand for. ” – Jennifer Lopez (see more quotes from Jennifer Lopez)
52. “You must do the things you think you cannot do. ” – Eleanor Roosevelt
53. “It’s possible to climb to the top without stomping on other people. ” – Taylor Swift
54. “We’ve begun to raise daughters more like sons … but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters.”
55. “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
56. “Strong women don’t have ‘attitudes’, we have standards.”
57. “Leadership is not about command and control: that’s for the army.”
58. “The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart
59. “I guess at the end of the day, all women like to be appreciated and treated with respect and kindness. ” — Sofia Vergara
60. “The glass ceiling will go away when women help other women break through that ceiling.”
61. “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own. ” ― Audre Lorde
62. “I don't have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I'm as good as anybody, but no better.” – Katherine Johnson
63. “The world’s most prominent women leaders show the importance of honesty, courage, impact, and decisive action in leadership. ”
64. “I wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.” -- Indra Nooyi, CEO, PepsiCo
65. “Feminism is not accepting discrimination or bias as a blocker to success, but recognizing it, overcoming it, and becoming better and stronger because of it. ”
66. “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. ” – Anais Nin
67. “Do not be afraid to make decisions. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. ”
68. “I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.”
69. “Courage is not staying quiet about things that make us uncomfortable.” -Brene Brown
70. “Men should think twice before making widowhood women's only path to power."
71. “I always wanted to be a femme fatale. Even when I was a young girl, I never really wanted to be a girl. I wanted to be a woman.”
72. “You are enough just as you are. ” – Meghan Markle
73. “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow. ” – Helen Keller
74. “'Restore connection’ is not just for devices, it is for people too. If we cannot disconnect, we cannot lead. Creating the culture of burnout is opposite to creating a culture of sustainable creativity. This is something that needs to be taught in business schools. This mentality needs to be introduced as a leadership and performance-enhancing tool. ”—Arianna Huffington
75. Cultivate a network of trusted mentors and colleagues. Other people can give us the best insight into ourselves—and our own limitations. We must have the courage to ask for help and to request feedback to expand our vision of what's possible.”
76. “When leaders become isolated, they stop getting critical feedback.”
77. “Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.” – Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the US Supreme Court
78. “It was like a shot in the arm of purpose and passion, a timely reminder of our mission and the value we could bring to the world.”
79. “I’ve always subscribed to the belief that the best leader is not one who has the most followers, but one who creates the most leaders. I strive every day — and in every program and offering we have at Integrous Women — to create more conscious, confident, and soulful leaders who, in return, will build a better world for all. ”
80. “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one. ” – Dolly Parton
81. “Give light and people will find the way.” – Ella Baker, Activist
82. “If you are committed to creating value and if you aren’t afraid of hard times; obstacles become utterly unimportant. A nuisance perhaps; but with no real power. The world respects creation; people will get out of your way. ”
83. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt, former U.S. First Lady and U.S. Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly
84. “The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before. ” — Albert Einstein
85. “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, founder of Spanx
86. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
87. “Leadership should be more participative than directive, more enabling than performing. ”
88. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ” – Eleanor Roosevelt
89. “My best successes came on the heels of failures.” -- Barbara Corcoran
90. “Making the decision to not follow a system, or someone else’s rules has allowed me to really dig into what my own strengths and gifts are without spending time feeling jaded or wasteful. ”
91. You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it. -Maya Angelou
92. Dreams and reality are opposites. Action synthesizes them. -Assata Shakur, Assata: An Autobiography
93. “Power’s not given to you. You have to take it. ”
94. “I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head. ”—Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales
95. “Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. it’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.”
96. I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together.—Queen Elizabeth II
97. “Transparency is always necessary, even when it may cost you everything you’ve built.”
98. “Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” – J.K. Rowling, Writer
99. “How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself. ” — Anais Nin
100. “The more you praise and celebrate your life; the more there is in life to celebrate.”
101. “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.”
102. “We need to understand that there is no formula for how women should lead their lives. That is why we must respect the choices that each woman makes for herself and her family. Every woman deserves the chance to realize her God-given potential.” – Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and first woman nominated for U.S. president by a major political party
103. “You are more powerful than you know; you are beautiful just as you are. ” – Melissa Etheridge
104. ‘I Love My Job’: How I Feel Empowered to Innovate, Explore, and Grow as a Software Engineer
105. “We’re all water from different rivers, that’s why it’s so easy to meet; we’re all water in this vast, vast ocean, someday we’ll evaporate together.” – Yoko Ono, performance artist and peace activist
106. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence." - Sheryl Sandberg
107. “Woman must not accept; she must challenge. She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression. ” ― Margaret Sanger
108. “Ask directly for help. You want to achieve things, and your mentors can only help if they know you need it.”
109. “I am nice. There’s not such a thing as ‘too nice. ’ But my expectations are high, and people do rise to my expectations. I don’t manage based on fear. I manage based on expectations. ”—Marjorie Kaplan
110. “Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want.” -- Dianne Feinstein
111. “Social change is brought about by those who dare and act, who can think unconventionally and who can court unpopularity.” – Indira Gandhi
112. “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes…and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” -- Eleanor Roosevelt
113. I believe in a quiet, strong and grounded leadership. I think some of the best leaders are those whose work is widely known and respected but who, themselves, are relatively unknown.—Rachael Chong
114. “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” -- Helen Keller
115. “A strong woman is a woman determined to do something others are determined not be done. ” — Marge Piercy
116. “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”
117. “I don’t think about beauty. I wake up and I want to be a smarter person, that’s my focus. … I’m encouraging certainly my girls that if they can make their inside and who they are really, really stunning then everything falls together.”
118. “In a world that wants women to whisper, I choose to yell. ” — Luvvie Ajayi
119. “Think like a queen. A queen if not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” – Oprah Winfrey, media mogul and North America's first black multi-billionaire
120. “If you don’t like being a doormat then get off the floor. ”– Al Anon
121. “I think realizing that you’re not alone, that you are standing with millions of your sisters around the world is vital.” - Malala Yousafzai
122. “Woman must not accept; she must challenge. ” ― Margaret Sanger
123. True leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed....Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection.—Sheryl Sandberg
124. “Pursuing peace means rising above one's own wants, needs, and emotions.” – Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan
125. “Ambiguity is the enemy. Set clear expectations of whatever deal or relationship you are entering into.”
126. “If you want to run for Prime Minister, you can. If you don’t, that’s wonderful, too. Shave your armpits, don’t shave them, wear flats one day, heels the next. These things are so irrelevant and surface to what it is all really about, and I wish people wouldn’t get caught up in that. We want to empower women to do exactly what they want, to be true to themselves, to have the opportunities to develop. ”
127. The only safe ship in a storm is leadership.—Faye Wattleton
128. Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be. -Elizabeth Gilbert
129. “If you are successful, it is because somewhere, sometime, someone gave you a life or an idea that started you in the right direction. Remember also that you are indebted to life until you help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped.”
130. “I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. … We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”
131. “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. I’ve never forgotten that.”
132. “Trying to do it all and expecting that it all can be done exactly right is a recipe for disappointment. Perfection is the enemy.”
133. “Inspiration is key. Allow people to have fun, encourage enjoyment, and require growth.”
134. “Showing people who you are and being vulnerable is actually a strength.”
135. “Wouldn’t it be nice if Black girls weren’t inundated with negative, sexist comments about Black women? If they were told instead of the many important things that we’ve achieved? ... Black women, too often in the shadows of such accomplishments, actually powered the civil rights movement.”
136. “On my own, I will just create, and if it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, I’ll create something else. I don’t have any limitations on what I think I could do or be.” – Oprah Winfrey, Media Mogul
137. “Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” Mary Kay Ash, founder Mary Kay Cosmetics
138. “A strong woman looks a challenge dead in the eye and gives it a wink. ” — Gina Carey
139. “Ladies, its not harsh to be assertive nor is it bad to be a boss. You have standards they just need to learn it, if they don't like it thats their loss.”
140. “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you. ”
141. “Women have always been the strong ones of the world. ” ― Coco Chanel
142. “If you’re clear on what you believe, you have a great foundation to go make a market.”—Ginni Rometty, Chairman, president and CEO of IBM
143. “Men often ask me, 'Why are your female characters so paranoid?' It’s not paranoia. It’s recognition of their situation.”
144. “Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” - Judy Garland
145. “People respond well to those that are sure of what they want.” – Anna Wintour, editor-in-Chief of American Vogue
146. “One of the criticisms I’ve faced over the years is that I’m not aggressive enough or assertive enough or maybe somehow, because I’m empathetic, it means I’m weak. I totally rebel against that. I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong. ”
147. “I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity. And I want to be respected in all of my femaleness because I deserve to be. ” — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
148. “There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” – Jane Austen, Novelist
149. “A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform. ” — Diane Mariechild
150. “Men selectively listen. When that happened, I’d stop the conversation and say, ‘Do you realize I said that 10 minutes ago?’ Women have to take responsibility for the dynamic around them. You can’t just say, ‘Woe is me.'”
151. “We are in a season of disruption. We are in a season of rebirth. The two have much in common. What we once thought of as normal will never be again, but both disruption and rebirth provide opportunities to normalize entirely new realities...”
152. “Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.” – Hillary Clinton
153. “Gender diversity is not just good for women; it’s good for anyone who wants results.”
154. 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.—Jessica Lawrence
155. “It’s not just win or lose—the process is what matters.”
156. “I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity. ” ― Angelina Jolie
157. “A woman is like a teabag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.”
158. “Whether women are better than men I cannot say – but I can say they are certainly no worse. ” ― Golda Meir
159. “My husband always tells me that I’m the most unrelenting person he’s ever met, and it’s true. If I make a commitment to something, I will stick to it no matter what. ” — Jenny Craig
160. “You can and should set your own limits and clearly articulate them. This takes courage, but it is also liberating and empowering, and often earns you new respect. ”
161. “I’ve been in so many spaces where I’m the first and only Black trans woman or trans woman period. I just want to work until there are fewer and fewer ‘first and only’s.”
162. “’Restore connection’ is not just for devices, it is for people too. If we cannot disconnect, we cannot lead. ”
163. “If you don’t have an evolving growth strategy, then you and your team are just driving around the block. You may be doing well, but you’re not going anywhere.”
164. “Tolerance and compassion are active, not passive states, born of the capacity to listen, to observe and to respect others.” – Indira Gandhi
165. Restore connection' is not just for devices, it is for people too. If we cannot disconnect, we cannot lead. -Arianna Huffington
166. “Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away.”
167. The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them. -Ida B. Wells
168. “I wake up every morning and think to myself, ‘How far can I push the company forward in the next 24 hours?’” -- Leah Busque
169. “Option A is not available. So let’s kick the sh** out of option B.” – Sheryl Sandberg , COO of Facebook
170. “Know what you bring. Know what you don’t bring. And build a team that covers everything you need.”—Angie Hicks, founder of Angie’s List
171. Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.
172. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive. ” – Maya Angelou
173. “Women are the real architects of society. ” — Cher
174. “Women in leadership are often questioned based on their gender, rather than the performance against the set agenda. That kind of mentality needs to shift in society. Women should be empowered to lead without the fear of being treated differently.”
175. “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, American civil rights activist
176. “Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don't believe is right.” – Jane Goodall, world's foremost expert on chimpanzees and environmental activist
177. “Being flexible and, more important, empathetic, in business partnerships is essential.”
178. “Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror. ” – Byron Katie
179. “Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes.” -- Margaret Wheatley
180. Don't waste your energy trying to educate or change opinions; go over, under, through, and opinions will change organically when you're the boss. Or they won't. Who cares? Do your thing, and don't care if they like it.—Tina Fey
181. “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. … It shouldn’t be that women are the exception. ” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
182. “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.”
183. “An important attribute of success is to be yourself. Never hide what makes you, you.” – Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo
184. “Champions keep playing until they get it right.”
185. “I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity. And I want to be respected in all of my femaleness because I deserve to be.”
186. One bad day from one member of my staff doesn’t mean they are not really good at their jobs the rest of the time. I play a long game in terms of management.—Helen McCabe
187. “Buckle up, and know that it’s going to be a tremendous amount of work, but embrace it.” – Tory Burch, Fashion Designer
188. “I tell my daughters to have their voice in this world, and it became clear I needed to role-model that. ”
189. “I'm not going to limit myself just because people won't accept the fact that I can do something else.”
190. “Some people are old at 18 and some are young at 90. Time is a concept that humans created.” – Yoko Ono
191. “A confident woman, a woman who truly knows her worth and her power is a force to be reckoned with. ” — Mandy Hale
192. “Listening to others, especially those with whom we disagree, tests our own ideas and beliefs. It forces us to recognize, with humility, that we don’t have a monopoly on the truth.” – Janet Yellen, Economist
193. “We have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible. ” — Beyonce
194. “Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you. ”
195. “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
196. 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
197. “Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you’ll be criticized anyway. ”
198. “The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough. ”
199. “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me?”
200. “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman. ” — Margaret Thatcher
201. “As a child growing up, I dreamt big. Most people would have looked at an Aboriginal girl from the Territory, where the statistics…point to every reason why I should not succeed. But I was determined to be successful.” - Nova Peris
202. Business: Women serve in leadership roles in all sorts of different businesses. Former Facebook (now Meta) COO Sheryl Sandberg, current GM CEO Mary Barra, former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, and Sunshine Contacts cofounder Marissa Mayer are a few examples of powerful female leaders in business. Some, like Melinda French Gates, have also paired their business expertise with a long track record of philanthropy
203. “You are never too small to make a difference. ”
204. “Charlatans are like poisonous mosquitoes dressed as butterflies.”
205. “People respond well to those that are sure of what they want. ”
206. “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”
207. “If you're always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” – Maya Angelou, Pulitzer-prize nominated poet
208. “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me?”- Ayn Rand
209. “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
210. “Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” – Anne Sweeney, Co-chair of Disney Media
211. “I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.” – Madam C. J. Walker, The first female self-made millionaire in America
212. “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.”
213. “You have got to do the right thing even if it is painful. Don’t trim or track all over the place. Set your course and take the difficult decisions – because that is what needs to be done.” – Margaret Thatcher, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
214. “Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Make decisions based on what should happen, not what shouldn’t.” – Michelle Obama, former U.S. First Lady
215. “God created his daughters to be image bearers, and that necessarily entails a call to leadership. Failure to see this creates problems that are often overlooked--the predicament and even the peril this creates for so many women, not to mention how this hampers the mission of the church.”
216. Women are leaders everywhere you go, 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 breakdown walls and defy stereotypes.—Nancy Pelosi
217. “Hear me as a woman./Have me as your sister./On purpled battlefield breaking day,/So I might say our victory is just beginning,/See me as change,/Say I am movement,/That I am the year,/and I am the era/of the women.”
218. “My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” -- Oprah Winfrey
219. “We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored. ” ― Sheryl Sandberg
220. “A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult. ” ― Melinda Gates
221. “Women belong in all places where decisions are made … It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.”
222. “At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” – Frida Kahlo, 20th-century Mexican painter
223. “Embrace what you don’t know, especially in the beginning, because what you don’t know can become your greatest asset. It ensures that you will absolutely be doing things different from everybody else.” -Sara Blakely
224. “If there’s one thing you can do to demonstrate, in action, that you’re serious about your start-up, it’s this: quit your day job.”
225. “A strong woman understands that the gifts such as logic, decisiveness, and strength are just as feminine as intuition and emotional connection. She values and uses all of her gifts. ” — Nancy Rathburn
226. “Women need a seat at the table, they need an invitation to be seated there, and in some cases, where this is not available, they need to create their own table. We need a global understanding that we cannot implement change effectively without women's political participation.”
227. “I think realizing that you’re not alone, that you are standing with millions of your sisters around the world is vital.” -Malala Yousafzai
228. “You cannot live to please everyone else. You have to edify, educate and fulfill your own dreams and destiny.” – Viola Davis, Actress and Producer
229. “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent. ” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
230. “I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same as ‘making a life.’” – Maya Angelou
231. “I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” – Marissa Mayer, Co-founder of Lumi Labs
232. “I was a person with dignity and self-respect, and I should not set my sights lower than anybody else just because I was black.” – Rosa Parks
233. “The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to help somebody else get it first. ”—Iyanla Vanzant
234. One of the most important things for any leader is to never let anyone else define who you are. And you define who you are. I never think of myself as being a woman CEO of this company. I think of myself as a steward of a great institution.—Ginni Rometty
235. “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.”—Marie Curie, physicist and chemist, and two-time (1903 and 1911) Nobel Prize winner
236. “Part of leadership is knowing when to go ahead with a decision that’s within your authority because you’re really convinced it’s the right thing, even if other people don’t understand it at that point
237. As a leader, it's a major responsibility on your shoulders to practice the behavior you want others to follow.—Himanshu Bhatia
238. “The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have. ”
239. “You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.” – Shirley Chisholm
240. Finally I was able to see that if I had a contribution I wanted to make, I must do it, despite what others said. That I was OK the way I was. That it was all right to be strong. -Wangari Maathai
241. “Leadership is not a person or a position. It is a complex moral relationship between people based on trust, obligation, commitment, emotion, and a shared vision of the good. ”
242. Your job as leader is to stay as close in touch as possible with those closest to the action.—Kat Cole
243. “The worst thing that we can do as women is not stand up for each other, and this is something we can practice every day, no matter where we are and what we do – women sticking up for other women, choosing to protect and celebrate each other instead of competing or criticising one another.”
244. Champions keep playing until they get it right. -Billie Jean King
245. “Women will be hidden no more. We will not remain hidden figures. We have names. ” ― Janelle Monae
246. “I am woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that’s me. ” — Maya Angelou
247. “I have broken many glass ceilings - so I know it can be done. ”
248. “You can and should set your limits and clearly articulate them. This takes courage, but it is also liberating and empowering, and often earns you new respect.”
249. “Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes. ”—Margaret Wheatley
250. “I decided I can’t pay a person to rewind time, so I may as well get over it. ”
251. “Dreams are lovely but they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.” – Shonda Rhimes, TV Producer
252. Politics: Women from all different sides of the political spectrum—from Margaret Thatcher to Dianne Feinstein—have made a mark on history. Consider Supreme Court Justices like Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Think of how first ladies like Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosalynn Carter, and Hillary Clinton have gone on to be independent leaders in their own right. And when it comes to activism and calling for change, remember how women like Audre Lorde, Sojourner Truth, and Susan B. Anthony led the charge
253. “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
254. “No one has ever become poor by giving. ” – Anne Frank
255. “Our emerging workforce is not interested in command and control leadership. They don’t want to do things because I said so, they want to do things because they want to do them.”
256. “We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers.” – Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the UK suffragette movement
257. ‘A Little Adversity Is a Good Thing’ — Lessons for a Successful Leadership Journey
258. We're here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.—Whoopi Goldberg
259. “Leadership is not only a title, it is a conviction to do the right thing and lead by example to those we serve.”
260. “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
261. “Aging is not “lost youth” but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” – Betty Friedan
262. “The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves.”
263. “Emotional intelligence is the ability to use emotion to increase your own and others’ success. ”
264. “There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no as an answer.”
265. “We must have ideals and try to live up to them, even if we never quite succeed. Life would be a sorry business without them. With them, it’s grand and great.” – Lucy Maude Montgomery, Writer
266. “Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.”
267. “I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves. ” — Mary Wollstonecraft
268. “Leadership is not about men in suits. It is a way of life for those who know who they are and are willing to be their best to create the life they want to live. ”—Kathleen Schafer
269. “Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives. ”
270. “We treat our people like royalty. If you honor and serve the people who work for you, they will honor and serve you.” -- Mary Kay Ash
271. “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
272. “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.”
273. “Every leader has blood on her hands.”
274. “We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced. ” — Malala Yousafzai
275. “You may not always have a comfortable life, and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.” – Michelle Obama, Former First Lady of the United States of America
276. “We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat; they do not exist.” -- Queen Victoria
277. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ” —Maya Angelou
278. Strategic leaders must not get consumed by the operational and tactical side of their work. They have a duty to find time to shape the future.—Stephanie S. Mead
279. “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish. ” — Michelle Obama
280. “Some women choose to follow men, and some choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore. ” – Lady Gaga
281. “Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others. ” — Amelia Earhart
282. “I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist
283. “Strong women don’t have ‘attitudes’, we have standards. ” — Marilyn Monroe
284. “You can show more of the reality of yourself instead of hiding behind a mask for fear of revealing too much.” – Betty Friedan
285. “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 leading. ”—Amy Poehler
286. “When women got into positions of power, they calibrated and recalibrated tenderness and strength, modulating and correcting. Power and love didn't often live side by side. If one came in, the other might go.”
287. “It isn’t where you came from. It’s where you’re going that counts. ” – Ella Fitzgerald
288. “I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy. ”
289. “As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters. ”
290. “If it doesn’t scare you, you’re probably not dreaming big enough.”
291. “I am endlessly fascinated that playing football is considered a training ground for leadership, but raising children isn’t.” -- Dee Dee Myers
292. “Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you” - Margaret Thatcher
293. Leadership is not a person or a position. It is a complex moral relationship between people based on trust, obligation, commitment, emotion, and a shared vision of the good.—Joanne Ciulla
294. “I want to build a community where women of all races can communicate and ... continue to support and take care of each other. I want to give women a space to feel their own strength and tell their stories. That is power.”
295. “I’ve had to learn to fight all my life – got to learn to keep smiling. If you smile things will work out.” – Serena Williams
296. “If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities. ”
297. “You have to fight because you can’t count on anyone else fighting for you. And you have to fight for people who can’t fight for themselves. To get anything of real value, you have to fight for it.” – Ronda Rousey, Professional Wrestler
298. “The greatest danger to our future is apathy.” – Jane Goodall
299. “We need to get women to the point where they aren’t apologizing. It is time to take ownership in our success. ” — Tory Burch
300. “Recognizing and instilling a culture of dignity matters.”
301. “The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.” – Serena Williams, professional tennis player who has won more singles titles than any man or woman
302. “I raise up my voice—not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard… We cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” – Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate
303. “True leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed… Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection.” — Sheryl Sandberg, COO ofFacebook
304. “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. ” ― Eleanor Roosevelt
305. “The only safe ship in a storm is leadership.” -- Faye Wattleton
306. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. ”—Margaret Mead
307. “Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light.” – Frida Kahlo
308. “The bigger we get, the easier it is.”
309. “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation. ” ― Brigham Young
310. “Repetition makes reputation and reputation makes customers.”—Elizabeth Arden, founder of Elizabeth Arden Inc.
311. “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a b*tch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass. ”— Maya Angelou
312. “You have to look at your career and personal life at the big-picture level: it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Doing that helps me feel OK during the weeks when one part of my life overwhelms the other. ”
313. “Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you.” – Hillary Clinton, Politician
314. “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.”
315. “Whatever it is that you think you want to do, and whatever it is that you think stands between you and that, stop making excuses. You can do anything.” – Katia Beauchamp, co-founder and CEO of Birchbox.
316. A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. -Eleanor Roosevelt
317. “Find the smartest people you can and surround yourself with them.” — Marissa Meyer, CEO of Yahoo!
318. “Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men.” – Katherine Johnson, mathematician and one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist
319. “If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.” -- Maya Angelou
320. “I have been in this role a long time. I am tired of being called a woman CEO. I prefer just CEO.”
321. “Whatever you do, be different – that was the advice my mother gave me, and I can’t think of better advice for an entrepreneur. If you’re different, you will stand out.” Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop
322. Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, She doesn't have what it takes. They will say, Women don't have what it takes. -Clare Boothe Luce
323. “Women should do for themselves what men have already done—occasionally what men have not done—thereby establishing themselves as persons, and perhaps encouraging other women toward greater independence of thought and action.” – Amelia Earhart, first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean
324. “The best way to change it is to do it. Right? And then after a while, you become it and it’s easy.” – Ursula Burns, Former CEO of Xerox
325. “Those with integrity acknowledge their missteps and grow from them.”
326. “Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives. ”—Michelle Obama
327. “Be resilient. You will have major setbacks. Know they are coming and don’t let them stop you.”
328. “I’m pro everyday equality, everyday celebration and everyday respect. I feel fortunate that we are not back in the days where men were seen as more powerful.”
329. “My movement is my movement. When all the dust has settled on the groundbreaking-ness, I’m going to still be doing this. I’m not going to suddenly change. I’m going to still be telling my life story through music. And if that’s body-positive to you, amen. If that’s feminist to you, amen. If that’s pro-black to you, amen. Because ma’am, I’m all of those things.”
330. “Rarely are opportunities presented to you in a perfect way. In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top. 'Here, open it, it's perfect. You'll love it.' Opportunities – the good ones – are messy, confusing and hard to recognize. They're risky. They challenge you.”- Susan Wojcicki
331. “With kids, they don’t do what you want them to do when you want them to do it. Organizations don’t necessarily, either. You’ve got to listen. You’ve got to learn how to influence.” — Ellen J. Kullman, formerly Chair and Chief Executive Officer of DuPont.
332. “It’s okay to admit what you don’t know. It’s okay to ask for help. And it’s more than okay to listen to the people you lead – in fact, it’s essential. ”
333. “Without being willing to fail and continually get back up again, I would never have been able to find the right market and establish my product within it
334. “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” -- Mother Teresa
335. “Tremendous amounts of talent are being lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt.” – Shirley Chisholm, first African-American woman elected to U.S. Congress
336. “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.”
337. “The way in which we think of ourselves has everything to do with how our world sees us and how we see ourselves successfully acknowledged by the world. ” – Arlene Rankin
338. “I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives. ” ― Jane Austen
339. “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
340. “Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway. ”
341. “I am a woman with thoughts and questions and sh*t to say. I say if I’m beautiful. I say if I’m strong. You will not determine my story – I will. ” – Amy Schumer
342. “Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” -- Anne Sweeney
343. “Don’t you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can’t be exactly who you are.” – Lady Gaga, Singer, Songwriter, and Actress
344. “I think it’s a combination of personality traits that have helped me to succeed. Not only hard work - but patience, sacrifice and choosing my battles have all helped me to reach the point in my career to which I aspired, in a company I admired. ”
345. Without passion, a person will have very little influence as a leader.—Michele Payn-Knoper
346. “When you can’t find someone to follow, you have to find a way to lead by example.” – Roxane Gay, Writer
347. “With kids, they don’t do what you want them to do when you want them to do it. Organizations don’t necessarily, either. You’ve got to listen. You’ve got to learn how to influence. ”
348. I decided I can't pay a person to rewind time, so I may as well get over it. -Serena Williams
349. “Females are the most beautiful, gorgeous creatures in the whole world. And I think that we are gorgeous no matter what size we are.”
350. “The best protection any woman can have … is courage. ”– Elizabeth Cady Stanton
351. “Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want. ”
352. Media: In the world of media, women lead a wide variety of productions and publications. Arianna Huffington’s The Huffington Post covers politics, lifestyle issues, and entertainment. Anne Sweeney formerly ran The Disney Channel. Robin Roberts is the anchor of Good Morning America. Oprah Winfrey built a media empire and has also elevated other women leaders in media, like Iyanla Vanzant
353. Cultivate a network of trusted mentors and colleagues. Other people can give us the best insight into ourselves—and our own limitations. We must have the courage to ask for help and to request feedback to expand our vision of what's possible.”—Maria Castañón Moats
354. “Cat Man of Aleppo” Is Safe and Rescuing Pets After the Turkey-Syria Earthquake
355. “Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway.” – Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics
356. “People will say to me, ‘You’ve played so many strong women,’ and I’ll say, ‘Have you ever said to a man, ‘You’ve played so many strong men?’’ No! Because the expectation is men are varied. Why can’t we have that expectation about women?” – Meryl Streep, Actress
357. “Bend don’t break. Being soft is powerful. You don’t need to be “tough” to be an effective leader.”
358. “I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.” – Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM
359. “I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.” – Serena Williams
360. “Surround yourself with a trusted and loyal team. It makes all the difference.” -- Alison Pincus
361. Do you know that one of the great problems of our age is that we are governed by people who care more about feelings than they do about thoughts and ideas?—Margaret Thatcher
362. “Live your life in such a way that you'll be remembered for your kindness, compassion, fairness, character, benevolence, and a force for good who had much respect for life, in general.”
363. “Embrace everything you are as a woman. Even your flaws too. And the things that you want to fix, you make them better. ” ― Kelly Rowland
364. Find the smartest people you can and surround yourself with them.—Marissa Meyer
365. “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, you can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you would threaten the man.”
366. “No one else is going to build the life you want for you. No one else will even be able to completely understand it. The most amazing souls will show up to cheer you along the way, but this is your game. Make a pact to be in it with yourself for the long haul, as your own supportive friend at every step along the way. ”
367. “No woman should be told she can’t make decisions about her own body. When women’s rights are under attack, we fight back. ” ― Kamala Harris
368. “Do what you feel in your heart to be right–for you’ll be criticized anyway.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
369. “No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens. ”
370. “Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you. ” — Hillary Clinton
371. “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
372. “A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim. ”
373. “I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.”
374. “A girl should not expect special privileges because of her sex but neither should she adjust to prejudice and discrimination.” – Betty Friedan, writer and activist credited with sparking 20th-century wave of feminism
375. “Just as a household falls apart without emotional labor, so does politics grind to a halt if no one is actually listening to one another or reading the briefings or making plans that have a chance of working.”
376. “You need to spend political capital - be unafraid to introduce people, compliment somebody when it’s deserved and stand up for something you really believe in, rather than just go with the flow. ”
377. “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.”
378. “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou
379. “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."
380. Power isn't control at all—power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn't someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own.—Beth Revis
381. “Whenever you see a successful woman, look out for three men who are going out of their way to try to block her. ” – Yulia Tymoshenko
382. The important thing is to always ask the world to do some things. But sometimes they cannot be done, so you have to take a stab, and you have to do them.—Malala Yousafzai
383. “To me, leadership is about encouraging people. It’s about stimulating them. It’s about enabling them to achieve what they can achieve – and to do that with a purpose.” – Christine Lagarde, Lawyer and Politician
384. “There is nothing like a concrete life plan to weigh you down. Because if you always have one eye on some future goal, you stop paying attention to the job at hand, miss opportunities that might arise, and stay fixedly on one path, even when a better, newer course might have opened up.”—Indra K. Nooyi, CEO of Pepsi Co.
385. “Leadership is hard to define, and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader. ”
386. “Leadership should be more participative than directive, more enabling than performing. ”—Mary D. Poole
387. Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect for one's superiors; care for one's crew.—Grace Hopper
388. “Women have to harness their power – it’s absolutely true. It’s just learning not to take the first ‘no. ’ And if you can’t go straight ahead, you go around the corner. ” ― Cher
389. “Strong men, strong men, men who are truly role models, don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful.”
390. “I embrace the label of bad feminist because I am human. I am messy. I’m not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers. I am not trying to say I’m right. I am just trying—trying to support what I believe in, trying to do some good in this world, trying to make some noise with my writing while also being myself."
391. People think at the end of the day that a man is the only answer [to fulfillment]. Actually a job is better for me. -Diana, Princess of Wales
392. “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 that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” – Marie Curie
393. “She remembered who she was and the game changed. ” — Lalah Deliah
394. “The road to success is always under construction.”—Lily Tomlin, actress, comedian, writer and producer
395. “My mother told me that fear was not an option. I was always told that women are stronger, so I believed it. ”
396. “Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.” – Arianna Huffington, Editor-In-Chief of Huffington Post Media Group, AOL
397. “Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live. ”
398. “I always wanted to be a femme fatale. Even when I was a young girl, I never really wanted to be a girl. I wanted to be a woman. ” — Diane Von Furstenberg
399. “It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends. ” – J. K. Rowling
400. “Leadership is about the team - the culture they keep and embrace, it’s about empathy for your customers, clients, employees and the communities where you do business, it’s about doing the right thing for the right reasons, being confident enough to take risks and responsible enough to think of those who your decisions and risks may affect. ”
401. “I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head. ”
402. I think leadership is service and there is power in that giving: to help people, to inspire and motivate them to reach their fullest potential.—Denise Morrison
403. “I am big on quotes. I love quotes and mantras because they are reminders of what I believe in. I like a phrase that is simple but powerful. I always tell everyone to ‘Go for It. ”—Aixa G. Lopez
404. My best successes came on the heels of failures. -Barbara Corcoran
405. “Leaders are not just born. Sure, some people are born with strong competencies and strengths for leading in certain situations, but it is very clear that leadership can also be developed. That means everyone can strengthen their skills and abilities to lead and influence. ”—Dr. Susan Madsen
406. “Everyone has inside of her a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be, how much you can love, what you can accomplish, and what your potential is. ” — Anne Frank
407. “When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go. ” – Carol Burnett
408. “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
409. “Where there is a woman there is magic. ” — Ntozake Shange
410. “I just want women to always feel in control. Because we’re capable, we’re so capable. ” ― Nicki Minaj
411. 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
412. “Women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation. ” ― Ruth Bader Ginsburg
413. “Success is an exception, so be exceptional. ”
414. Continuous learning leads to continuous improvement. Commit yourself to advancing your knowledge, skills, and expertise. The business environment is quickly changing, and your understanding of the leading practices, thinking, and emerging tools will help you manage for better results. Be a lifelong student.
415. “We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly. ” ― Margaret Atwood
416. 2% of boards and governing bodies have no female directors. By contrast, only 0. 4% had no male directors
417. “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.”
418. “As a leader, it’s a major responsibility on your shoulders to practice the behavior you want others to follow. —Himanshu Bhatia
419. “When you help a woman fulfil her potential, magic happens.”
420. “If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.”—Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop
421. “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.”
422. “If you don’t have an evolving growth strategy, then you and your team are just driving around the block. You may be doing well, but you’re not going anywhere.” -Shannon Byrne Susko
423. “No matter how senior you get in an organization, no matter how well you're perceived to be doing, your job is never done.” -- Abigail Johnson
424. “Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow’s reality.” – Malala Yousafzai
425. “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be. ”
426. “I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough. ”
427. “We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead. ” — Beyoncé
428. “We need to live in a culture that values and respects and looks up to and idolises women as much as men.”
429. “Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.” – Michelle Obama
430. A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be.—Rosalynn Carter
431. “Our emerging workforce is not interested in command and control leadership. They don’t want to do things because I said so, they want to do things because they want to do them. ”—Irene Rosenfield
432. “Good leaders organize and align people around what the team needs to do. Great leaders motivate and inspire people with why they’re doing it. That’s purpose. And that’s the key to achieving something truly transformational. ”—Marillyn Hewson
433. “Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.”
434. “Integrity is critical. Do whatever you can to build and preserve your integrity, and surround yourself with people who require it.”
435. To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.—Eleanor Roosevelt
436. “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” -- Estée Lauder
437. “Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got. There is no yesterday, no tomorrow, it’s all the same day. ” – Janis Joplin
438. “Some people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference. That is just not true. Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference.”
439. “Good things happen to those who hustle. ” – Anaïs Nin
440. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. ”
441. “Have no fear of perfection; you'll never reach it.” – Marie Curie, chemist who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.
442. “Magic happens when you connect people. I credit much of my success to always making it a point to truly get to know people and help them whenever I can. It’s become the backbone of our firm’s success. Women founders in particular are often highly skilled at making connections that can help advance their businesses. ”
443. “Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart, but it’s satisfying as hell.”
444. “She didn't care that people called her a bitch. 'It's just another word for feminist,' she told me with pride.”
445. “Love, compassion, care, listening, communicating—these aren’t secondary skills. They’re of primary importance.”
446. “If you have an idea, you have to believe in yourself or no one else will. ”
447. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
448. “Females are the most beautiful, gorgeous creatures in the whole world. And I think that we are gorgeous no matter what size we are. ” — Alicia Keys
449. I just want women to always feel in control. Because we're capable, we're so capable. -Nicki Minaj
450. “So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.” – Caterina Fake, Co-founder ofFlickr
451. “Who made man the exclusive judge, if women partake with him the gift of reason?”
452. Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want.—Dianne Feinstein
453. “Everyone gets knocked down in life. What matters is whether you get back up and keep going. (It’s a) lesson drilled in from an early age by my mother. It’s served me well and it’s universal." -Hillary Clinton
454. “Rarely are opportunities presented to you in a perfect way. In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top. Here, open it, it's perfect. You'll love it. Opportunities – the good ones – are messy, confusing and hard to recognize. They're risky. They challenge you. ”
455. “Doubt is a killer. You just have to know who you are and what you stand for. ” – Jennifer Lopez
456. “Helping people grow is the surest way to foster loyalty, engagement, and passion.”
457. What I have learned is that people become motivated when you guide them to the source of their own power and when you make heroes out of employees who personify what you want to see in the organization.—Anita Roddick
458. “Know your values. Being true to yourself is a critical part of being a leader.”
459. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained. -Marie Curie
460. “The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of a mistake.”
461. “The path from dreams to success does exist.” – Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut and Aeronautical Engineer
462. “Confidence matters. Figure out what makes you extraordinary and capitalize on it.”
463. “We need to accept that we don’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes. Understand that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success. ”
464. “I’m a maniacal perfectionist. And if I weren’t, I wouldn’t have this company. ”
465. “Every time someone writes that I play ‘strong women’ what they’re implying is that most women aren’t. How about I just play well-written parts?” — Jessica Chastain
466. “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” – Ruth Bader Ginsberg, second female justice appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court
467. “The things that have helped me grow to be softer have actually made me more powerful.”
468. “You never have to ask anyone permission to lead. When you want to lead, you lead.”
469. “There are two kinds of stones, as everyone knows, one of which rolls.” -- Amelia Earhart
470. “Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it, the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.” – Arianna Huffington, Journalist and Entrepreneur
471. “The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.” -- Serena Williams
472. “If you’re not making some notable mistakes along the way, you’re certainly not taking enough business and career chances
473. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact lasts in your absence. ”
474. Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences. -J. K. Rowling
475. “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” Eleanor Roosevelt, Author, Politician and Diplomat
476. “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King, Former World No. 1 Professional Tennis Player
477. “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
478. “You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.” – Indira Gandhi, first female Prime Minister of India
479. “I can promise you that women working together – linked, informed and educated – can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet.”
480. Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes. -Margaret Wheatley
481. “The Margaret Thatcher syndrome, that is, the woman who achieves seniority, but refuses any gender identification and indeed whose policies harmed many women, highlights that gender sensitivity is more significant in leading change than the biological sex of post-holders.”
482. “When women and girls are empowered to participate fully in society, everyone benefits. ” ― Melinda Gates
483. “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.” – Maya Angelou, Writer, Poet and Civil Rights Activist
484. “No one ever became a success without taking chances … One must be able to recognise the moment and seize it without delay.”
485. ‘I Laugh Everyday at Work’ — Why You Need to Check Out the Empowering Culture at This Tech Company
486. “They'll tell you you're too loud, that you need to wait your turn and ask the right people for permission. Do it anyway.”
487. “No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother. ” ― Margaret Sanger
488. “Good leaders organize and align people around what the team needs to do. Great leaders motivate and inspire people with why they’re doing it." -- Marillyn Hewson
489. We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead. -Beyoncé
490. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence." -Sheryl Sandberg
491. “Women need to shift from thinking “I’m not ready to do that” to thinking “I want to do that – and I’ll learn by doing it.” ” – Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
492. The arts: In all different avenues of the arts, women have made an indelible impact on history. Think of the joy the music of Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, or Dolly Parton has brought to millions of people. Consider how writers like Margaret Mead and Maya Angelou have given their readers an opportunity to learn about the human condition and see things from a different perspective. Or think of the thought-provoking movies of filmmakers like Greta Gerwig, Kathryn Bigelow, and Sofia Coppola
493. Sports: The world of sports used to be a boys’ club, but trailblazing women broke up sexist barriers to entry. Tennis stars like Billie Jean King and Serena Williams are among the best in the world to ever play the sport. Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in all of history
494. “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. ”– Alice Walker
495. “I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life—and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” – Georgia O'Keeffe, painter often recognized as the “Mother of American modernism”
496. “If you are committed to creating value and if you aren’t afraid of hard times; obstacles become utterly unimportant. A nuisance perhaps; but with no real power. The world respects creation; people will get out of your way.” Candice Carpenter, founder of iVillage.com
497. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. ”
498. “Women are like teabags. We don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water. ” — Eleanor Roosevelt
499. “Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring. ” – Lily Pulitzer
500. “Every twist and turn in life is an opportunity to learn something new about yourself, your interests, your talents, and how to set and then achieve goals.” – Jameela Jamil, Actress and Activist
501. “It is shown all throughout history how black women are constantly out here on the front lines, yet we are treated as disposable.
502. “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes — understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.”
