50 Empowering Quotes for Women

Women throughout history have shared great knowledge and wise thoughts with a multitude of audiences. Some examples of this include J.K. Rowling’s hopeful 2008 Harvard commencement speech and Oprah’s powerful 2018 Golden Globe acceptance speech. Common themes from these orations include ambition, determination and empowerment.

Inspiring remarks derive from women of all walks of life. Now more than ever, women in business, entertainment and everything in between recognize the importance of lifting each other up to thrive in success. These women also understand the growing need to empower one another to be brave in the face of fear.

Looking to celebrate the ladies in your own life? We collected an array of empowering quotes for women to help you find the right words to say. Find the perfect saying to dedicate and honor the strong women who impact you every day.

Empowering Quotes from Women in Business

Women today are CEOs, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and much more. Their innovation and compassion allow them to be great leaders and inspire the next generation to reach greater heights than ever before.

• “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.”- Estée Lauder

• “Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper.” – Julia Child

• “A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.” – Melinda Gates

• “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

• “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

• “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” – Coco Chanel

• “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

• The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” – Coco Chanel

• “No one ever became a success without taking chances… One must be able to recognize the moment and seize it without delay.” – Estée Lauder

• “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” – Julia Child

Empowering Quotes from Famous Actresses

Actresses take on roles that encourage us to be bold, courageous, clever and a spectrum of other traits we never thought we had. These women aim to inspire us all so that the strong characters they portray on-screen can exist in all of us in our everyday lives.

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

• “Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere.” – Mae West

• “If you’re one of those people who has that little voice in the back of her mind saying, ‘Maybe I could do [fill in the blank],’ don’t tell it to be quiet. Give it a little room to grow, and try to find an environment it can grow in.” – Reese Witherspoon

• “The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.” – Roseanne Barr

• “Just because you are blind, and unable to see my beauty doesn’t mean it does not exist.” – Margaret Cho

• “I’ve interviewed and portrayed people who’ve withstood some of the ugliest things life can throw at you, but the one quality all of them seem to share is an ability to maintain hope for a brighter morning, even during our darkest nights.” – Oprah Winfrey

• “I found that ultimately if you truly pour your heart into what you believe in — even if it makes you vulnerable — amazing things can and will happen.” – Emma Watson

•  “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. Women should feel free.” – Emma Watson

Empowering Quotes from Female Singers

These songbirds are recognized as some of the most powerful voices in the industry. Female singer-songwriters use their voice to bring sweet harmonies and meaningful messages to those who listen.

• “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!” – Dolly Parton

• “In life there is no real safety except for self-belief.” – Madonna

• “Never be ashamed of what you feel. You have the right to feel any emotion that you want, and to do what makes you happy. That’s my life motto.” – Demi Lovato

• “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

• “I’m learning how to drown out the constant noise that is such an inseparable part of my life. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world. I run my world.” – Beyoncé

• “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 for an answer.” – Rihanna

• “As women, we have to start appreciating our own worth and each other’s worth. Seek out strong women to befriend, to align yourself with, to learn from, to collaborate with, to be inspired by, to support, and enlightened by.” – Madonna

Empowering Quotes from Women Political Figures

Women in politics act as a voice for those who can’t speak and act on behalf of those in need. These women serve the people and fight for a better world for all.

• “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

• “I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values – and follow my own moral compass – then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own.” – Michelle Obama

• “With each generation, women’s ability to live the lives they choose reaches a place their grandmothers never thought possible. But that doesn’t mean everything is perfect or that our work is finished.” – Cathy McMorris Rodgers

• “To all the little girls who are watching, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.” – Hillary Clinton

• “Success, they taught me, is built on the foundation of courage, hard-work and individual responsibility. Despite what some would have us believe, success is not built on resentment and fears.” – Susana Martinez

• “I think that passion is the secret ingredient that drives hard work and excellence.” – Kelly Ayotte

• “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.” – Nikki Haley

• “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

• “You could certainly say that I’ve never underestimated myself. There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious.” – Angela Merkel

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

Empowering Quotes from Female Writers

Some like to say, “the pen is mightier than the sword.” This cannot be more true for this group of female writers. These authors, journalists, poets and screenwriters use their pens to convey stories and messages that both inspire and empower.

• “Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” – Nora Ephron

• “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anaïs Nin

• “There is a stubbornness about me that can never bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” – Jane Austen

• “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

• “We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already.” – J.K. Rowling

• “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou

• “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

• “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style” – Maya Angelou

• “The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand

• “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.'” – Erin McKean

• “You can’t please everyone, and you can’t make everyone like you.” – Katie Couric

Empowering Quotes from Female Feminists

Feminism is defined as “the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.” These amazing women have dedicated their work to the empowerment of women everywhere through their amazing activism and fearless commitment to all women.

• “Like art, revolutions come from combining what exists into what has never existed before.” – Gloria Steinem

• “I raise up my voice—not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.” – Malala Yousafzai

• “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” – Audre Lord

• “Sí se puede!” (“Yes we can!”) – Dolores Huerta

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

• “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” – Gloria Steinem

• “We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back. We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave – to embrace the strength within themselves and realize their full potential. ” – Malala Yousafzai

Drawing inspiration from any of these quotes? Have a favorite you picked out? Share on social and let us know by tagging @proflowers! Now that you’ve found the perfect quote, take some time to select the perfect bouquet or even some perfectly paired flowers and berries to show the women in your life how much you appreciate them!