25 Alice Paul Quotes from the Women’s Suffrage Movement

You’ll hear the passion of her work through these Alice Paul quotes.

Alice Paul was a leading voice during the women’s suffrage movement and her work helped lead to the passage of the U.S.

Constitution’s 19th Amendment which grants women the right to vote.

Alice was the daughter of a Quaker family who supported gender equality and issues such as education for women.

She saw the example of her mother who was a suffragist.

Eventually, Alice took up the battle as well and dedicated her entire life to the work.

You can see how passionate she was about her life’s mission through these Alice Paul quotes.

Don’t forget to also check out these Dorothy Day quotes from the revolutionary activist.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Our inspirational quote category page has even more inspirational and educational quotes.

Famous Alice Paul quotes about women empowerment and gender equality

1. “To me, there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality.” ― Alice Paul

You will also enjoy our article on quotes about voting.

2. “There will never be a new world order until women are a part of it.” ― Alice Paul

3. “I have joined the ‘suffragettes’ – the militant party on the woman suffrage question.” ― Alice Paul

4. “Mr. President, how long must women wait to get their liberty? Let us have the rights we deserve.” ― Alice Paul

5. “I never doubted that equal rights was the right direction. Most reforms, most problems are complicated.” ― Alice Paul

6. “We women of America tell you that America is not a democracy. Twenty million women are denied the right to vote.” ― Alice Paul

7. “Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction.” ― Alice Paul

8. “It has become impossible to forget ‘votes for women,’ just as it was impossible to forget the reformation of Luther.” ― Alice Paul

9. “It was a feeling of loyalty to our own sex and an enthusiasm to have every degradation that was put upon our sex removed.” ― Alice Paul

10. “All the girls planned to start in and support themselves—and you know it wasn’t so general then for girls to support themselves.” ― Alice Paul

11. “There is danger that because of a great victory women will believe their whole struggle for independence ended. They have still far to go.” ― Alice Paul

12. “The Woman’s Party is made up of women of all races, creeds, and nationalities who are united on the one program of working to raise the status of women.” ― Alice Paul

13. “This world crisis came about without women having anything to do with it. If the women of the world had not been excluded from world affairs, things today might have been different.” ― Alice Paul

14. “Nobody ever dreamt that women—you were always seeing these Elks and people going around in processions—but they never thought of women doing such a thing. And so there really was a great interest in it.” ― Alice Paul

15. “I think that American women are further along than any other women in the world. But you can’t have peace in a world in which some women or some men or some nations are at different stages of development.” ― Alice Paul

16. “I think if we get freedom for women, then they are probably going to do a lot of things that I wish they wouldn’t do. But it seems to me that isn’t our business to say what they should do with it. It is our business to see that they get it.” ― Alice Paul

Alice Paul quotes about courage, wisdom, and knowledge

17. “Isn’t memory a strange thing?” ― Alice Paul

18. “Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.” ― Alice Paul

19. “I will settle down & teach for the rest of my days.” ― Alice Paul

20. “I read just endlessly, ceaselessly, almost every book, it seems!” ― Alice Paul

21. “Each of us puts in one little stone, and then you get a great mosaic at the end.” ― Alice Paul

22. “When you put your hand to the plow, you can’t put it down until you get to the end of the row.” ― Alice Paul

23. “I don’t think there would be much use in my doing this because whether I studied or not I will always read.” ― Alice Paul

24. “When you’re young, when you’ve never done anything very much on your own, you imagine that it won’t be so hard.” ― Alice Paul

25. “It may be an instinct, it is with me anyway, when you’re presenting something to the world, to make it as beautiful as you can.” ― Alice Paul

What did you learn from these Alice Paul quotes?

This movement and the fight for equality was one of the most important things to Alice Paul.

The women she was working shoulder to shoulder with were most important to her and she never married.

She was well educated, especially for a woman during the early 1900s, even earning two doctorates.

While her personality was originally known as being on the quieter side, she learned how to step into the leadership role.

She was arrested several times for her active role in public demonstrations and when in jail would continue to spread her message through hunger strikes.

She supported and worked for the movement in both England and America, even organizing a parade that more than 8,000 women marched in.

What’s your biggest takeaway from these Alice Paul quotes and sayings?

Do you have any other favorite quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.