60 Inspirational, Motivational Life Quotes for Women by Women

“Be brave and fearless.  Know that even if you do make a wrong decision, you’re making it for a good reason.”  Adele Adkins

“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it I am not going to be silent.”  Madeleine Albright

“What I wanted more than anything was to be able to look after myself and make sure that every other woman in the world could do the same.” Doris Anderson

“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” Julie Andrews

“Forget conventionalism; forget what the world thinks of your stepping out of your place; think your best thoughts, speak your best words, work your best works, looking to your own conscience for approval.”  Susan B. Anthony

“Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.” Lauren Bacall

“My mother told me to be a lady.  And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.”  Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”  Lucille Ball

“Although beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, the feeling of being beautiful exists solely in the mind of the beheld.”  Martha Beck

“You must train your intuition – you must trust the small voice inside you which tells you exactly what to say, what to decide.”  Ingrid Bergman

“Courage is doing something despite the fear, and I’ve worked hard on being a courageous person”  Sara Blakely

“I’ve always had the feeling that nothing is impossible if one applies a certain amount of energy in the right direction.  If you want to do it, you can do it.”  Nellie Bly

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.”   Brené Brown

“Only I can change my life.  No one can do it for me.”  Carol Burnett

“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining.  You make progress by implementing ideas.”  Shirley Chisholm

“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

“Courage is the absence of fear but fear walking.”  Susan David

“To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lovely labor, to be given the chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life.  The money is the gravy.”  Bette Davis

“All dreams are within reach.  All you have to do is keep moving towards them.”  Viola Davis

“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that there was something wrong with me.”  Glennon Doyle

“Use your fear.  It can take you to the place where you store your courage.”  Amelia Earhart

“I am thankful for my struggle because, without it, I wouldn’t have stumbled across my strength.”  Alex Elle

“It isn’t where you came from, it’s where you’re going that counts.”  Ella Fitzgerald

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”  Jane Goodall

“I do not fix problems.  I fix my thinking.  Then problems fix themselves.”  Louise Hay

“For beautiful eyes look for the good in others. For beautiful lips speak only words of kindness and for poise walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”  Audrey Hepburn

“As one goes through life, one learns that if you don’t paddle your own canoe, you don’t move.”  Katharine Hepburn

“Women have an unique power of being able to look at the world’s problems and discover solutions that transform lives and make the world a better place.”  Ayanna Howard

“You have to do what you dream of doing even while you’re afraid.”  Arianna Huffington

“Passion is the bridge that takes you from pain to change.”  Frida Kahlo

“We are never really happy until we try to brighten the lives of others.”  Helen Keller

“Where you come from doesn’t have to determine where you’re going, but it definitely shares the foundation you have to build on. When something hard happens, once you’re able to process it emotionally, you’re then left with choices. Do you victim-up or do you warrior-up? Do you give up or do you level up and believe? The up is up to you.”  Jamie Kern Lima

“All creative people want to do the unexpected.”  Hedy Lemarr

“Trust your instincts.  My first reaction is almost invariably the right one.”  Estée Lauder

“To fly we have to have resistance.”  Maya Lin

“Women can help turn the world right side up.  We bring a more collaborative approach to government.  And if we do not participate, then decisions will be made without us.”  Wilma Mankiller

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning to sail my own ship.”  Louisa May Alcott

“Never underestimate the power of a woman.”  Nellie McClung

“It’s very important to surround yourself with people you can learn from.”  Reba McEntire

“Trust yourself.  Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life.  Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” Golda Meir

“You are the designer of your destiny; you are the author of your story.”  Lisa Nichols

“Success isn’t about how much you make.  It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”  Michelle Obama

“Knowing what must be done does away with fear.”   Rosa Parks

“Dream more, learn more, care more, and be more.”  Dolly Parton

“Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us.”  Nicole Reed

“If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it.  If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.  If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.”  Nora Roberts

“A woman is like a teabag; you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

“Laughter is more than just a pleasurable activity … When people laugh together, they tend to talk and touch more and to make eye contact more frequently.”  Gretchen Rubin

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

“The best way for us to cultivate fearlessness in our daughters and other young women is by example.  If they see their mothers and other women in their lives going forward despite fear, they’ll know it’s possible.”  Gloria Steinem

“Chance is the first step you take, luck is what comes afterward.”  Amy Tan

“Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.”  Dorothy Thompson

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.  Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”  Harriet Tubman

“As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  Marianne Williamson

“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”  Oprah Winfrey

“Life is a constant process of change, for better or worse.”  Shelley Winters

“Women do not want power over men, they want power over themselves.” Mary Wollstonecraft

“There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen.  There is a third stronger than both, that of women.”  Malala Yousafzai