175 Inspirational Quotes For Women About Strength And Leadership

Channel your inner queen warrior with these inspirational quotes for women!

In this article, Hermione Granger’s wisdom meets the empowering words of Michelle Obama.

Join us on a journey through the most inspiring quotes for women, igniting the fire within, shattering ceilings above us, and shining on everyone around us.

Let us know which resonated most with you in the comment section below.

The list of female strengths is endless, and these quotes will help you share that sentiment with all the badass women you know.

What Are The Benefits Of Reading These Inspirational Quotes For Women?

You are strong, confident, and courageous, and these powerful quotes will serve as your perfect reminder of just that!

Contrary to the belief that this is male-dominated, women provide the foundation of power, grace, wisdom, justice, creativity, and hope.

Women are known to have better:

• Intuition
• Patience
• Emotional focus
• Compassion
• Networking abilities

Throughout history, the world has witnessed many great women of strength who tapped into their Everyday Power to leave an indelible mark on society.

Reading words of wisdom from such amazing women can inspire you to become a strong woman yourself who approaches life with confidence.

The inspirational quotes for women below are filled with wisdom that will awaken hope, ambition, faith, and inner strength.

We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed compiling them.

Inspirational Quotes For Women On Strength And Leadership

1. “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

2. “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.” ― Brigham Young

3. “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

4. “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

5. “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

6. “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

7. “It’s possible to climb to the top without stomping on other people.” – Taylor Swift

8. “Doubt is a killer. You just have to know who you are and what you stand for.” – Jennifer Lopez

9. “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” – Anais Nin

10. “She was powerful not because she wasn’t scared but because she went on so strongly, despite the fear.” – Atticus

Inspirational Quotes For Women That Empower

11. “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

12. “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

13. “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

14. “We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” — Malala Yousafzai

15. “If you don’t like being a doormat then get off the floor.”– Al Anon

16. “The best protection any woman can have … is courage.”– Elizabeth Cady Stanton

17. “Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got. There is no yesterday, no tomorrow, it’s all the same day.” – Janis Joplin

18. “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”– Alice Walker

19. “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

20. “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

Inspirational Quotes For Women To Inspire Confidence

21. “Do one thing every day that scares you.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

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

23. “You are more powerful than you know; you are beautiful just as you are.” – Melissa Etheridge

24. “Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror.” – Byron Katie

25. “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

Short Inspirational Quotes For Women

26. “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” – Helen Keller

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

28. “When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” – Carol Burnett

29. “No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank

30. “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

31. “Good things happen to those who hustle.” – Anaïs Nin

32. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive.” – Maya Angelou

33. “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” – Dolly Parton

34. “You are enough just as you are.” – Meghan Markle

Take a moment and check out these Suits quotes!

35. “Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.” – Lily Pulitzer

Inspirational Quotes For Women That Will Give You Confidence

36. “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

37. “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

38. “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

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

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

41. “Women are like teabags. We don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

42. “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” — Michelle Obama

43. “A strong woman is a woman determined to do something others are determined not be done.” — Marge Piercy

44. “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

45. “I am woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that’s me.” — Maya Angelou

Powerful Inspiration Quotes For Women

46. “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

47. “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

48. “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

49. “Women will be hidden no more. We will not remain hidden figures. We have names.” ― Janelle Monae 

50. Whether women are better than men I cannot say – but I can say they are certainly no worse.” ― Golda Meir

51. “I just want women to always feel in control. Because we’re capable, we’re so capable.” ―  Nicki Minaj

52. I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” ― Audre Lorde

53. “When women and girls are empowered to participate fully in society, everyone benefits.” ― Melinda Gates

54. “Women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.” ― Ruth Bader Ginsburg

55. “We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly.” ― Margaret Atwood

Inspirational Quotes For Women To Ignite The Fire In Her

56. “A strong woman looks a challenge dead in the eye and gives it a wink.” — Gina Carey

57. “In a world that wants women to whisper, I choose to yell.” — Luvvie Ajayi

58. “She remembered who she was and the game changed.” — Lalah Deliah

59. “We need to get women to the point where they aren’t apologizing.  It is time to take ownership in our success.” — Tory Burch

60. “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

61. “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

62. We have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible.” — Beyonce

63. “Where there is a woman there is magic.” — Ntozake Shange

64. I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves.” — Mary Wollstonecraft

65. “I guess at the end of the day, all women like to be appreciated and treated with respect and kindness.” — Sofia Vergara

You might also like these Bad Bitch quotes that will inspire confidence within you.

Inspirational Quotes For Women To Inspire Growth  And Empowerment

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

67. “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. … It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg

68. “Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.” — Amelia Earhart

69. Women are the real architects of society.” — Cher

70. “A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” — Diane Mariechild

71. “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

72. “A confident woman, a woman who truly knows her worth and her power is a force to be reckoned with.” — Mandy Hale

73. “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

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

75. “Strong women don’t have ‘attitudes’, we have standards.” — Marilyn Monroe

Inspirational Quotes For Women To Inspire Young Girls

76. “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

77. “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

78. 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

79. “A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.” ― Melinda Gates

80. “Women have always been the strong ones of the world.” ― Coco Chanel

81. “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

82. “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

83. “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

84. “Woman must not accept; she must challenge.” ― Margaret Sanger

85. “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

Inspirational Quotes For Women To Break Barriers And Shatter Stereotypes

86. “Women challenge the status quo because we are never it.” — Cindy Gallop

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

88. “No woman wants to be in submission to a man who isn’t in submission to God!” ― T D Jakes

89. “A witty woman is a treasure; a witty beauty is a power.” ― George Meredith

90. “When a woman becomes her own best friend life is easier.” — Diane Von Furstenberg

91. “Women must learn to play the game as men do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

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

93. “A true diva is graceful, and talented, and strong, and fearless and brave and someone with humility.” — Beyoncé

94. “Strong women don’t play the victim. Don’t make themselves look pitiful and don’t point fingers. They stand and they deal.” — Mandy Hale

95. Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” — Mia Hamm

Inspirational Quotes For Women For Empowerment Through Resilience

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

97. “Sports provide girls with the opportunity to develop a better relationship with their bodies. They can be aggressive on the court, be strong and still be feminine.” — Gabrielle Reece

98. “I’m trying to take the stigma off the word [ambitious] so we encourage more little girls to be ambitious, because I do think that’s how society will change.” — Reese Witherspoon

99. “Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.” — Bethany Hamilton

100. “There’s nothing wrong with a woman being comfortable, confident.” — Selena Gomez

101. “I encourage women to step up. Don’t wait for somebody to ask you.” — Reese Witherspoon

102. “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” — Maya Angelou

103. “We need women who are so strong they can be gentle, so educated they can be humble, so fierce they can be compassionate, so passionate they can be rational, and so disciplined they can be free.” — Kavita Ramdas

104. “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” — Angela Davis

105. “We might not be able to change our circumstances, but we CAN change our attitude.” — Beth Moore

Inspirational Quotes For Women For Strength, Grace, And Wisdom

106. “We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough.” — Helen Keller

107. “Everyone’s a star and deserves the right to twinkle.” — Marilyn Monroe

108. “I survived because I was tougher than anybody else.” — Bette Davis

109. We can do no great things-only small things with great love.” — Mother Teresa

110. “Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” — Anne Sweeney

111. “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” — Ella Fitzgerald

112. Being a princess isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” — Princess Diana

113. Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know.” — Sara Blakely

114. We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.” — Marie Curie

115. You are more powerful than you think.” — Tim Cook

Inspirational Quotes For Women About Fearless Females

116. The best way to succeed is to discover what you love and find a way to offer it to others.” — Oprah Winfrey

117. “Whatever you do, be different. If you’re different, you will stand out.” — Anita Roddick

118. “Your words are the greatest power you have. The words you choose and their use establish the life you experience.” — Sonia Choquette

119. “Our deepest wishes are whispers of our authentic selves. We must learn to respect them. We must learn to listen.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach

120. “Your own words are the bricks and mortar of the dreams you want to realize.

Behind every word flows energy.” — Sonia Choquette

121. “Forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion.” — Oprah Winfrey

122. “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” — Marianne Williamson

123. “I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.” — Emma Stone

124. “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do.” — Ella Fitzgerald

125. “Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” — Oprah Winfrey

Inspirational Quotes For Women To Fuel Ambition And Confidence

126. “A woman set on anything will walk right through the moral crockery without wincing.” ― Charles Dudley Warner

127. “Be bold. If you’re going to make an error, make a doozy, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.” ― Billie Jean King

128. “Good women always think it is their fault when someone else is being offensive. Bad women never take the blame for anything.” ― Anita Brookner

129. “For what is done or learned by one class of women becomes, by virtue of their common womanhood, the property of all women.” ― Elizabeth Blackwell

130. “The foundation of domestic happiness is faith in the virtue of woman.” ― Walter Savage Landor

131. “Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And when they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others.” ― Amelia Earhart

132. “The years that a woman subtracts from her age are not lost. They are added to other women’s.” ― Diane de Poitiers

133. “Let a woman have her place, because as you provide foundation for her, she provides a foundation for you. And through that vulnerability comes strength.” ― Shemar Moore

134. “The heart of true womanhood knows where its own sphere is, and never seeks to stray beyond it!” ― Nathaniel Hawthorne

135. “Divination seems heightened and raised to its highest power in woman.” ― Amos Bronson Alcott

Inspirational Quotes For Women To Celebrate Their Power

136. “Women are a new race, recreated since the world received Christianity.” ― Henry Ward Beecher

137. “Women may be the one group that grows more radical with age.” ― Gloria Steinem

138. “Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this. Men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.” ― Robert Jordan

139. “Happiness lends poetic charms to woman, and dress adorns her like a delicate tinge of rouge.” ― Honore de Balzac

140. “Social science affirms that a woman’s place in society marks the level of civilization.” ― Elizabeth Cady Stanton

141. “Every woman wants a man who’ll fall in love with her soul as well as her body.” ― Rainbow Rowell

142. “I am woman, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore, and I know too much to go back and pretend.” ― Helen Reddy

143. “If there be any one whose power is in beauty, in purity, in goodness, it is a woman.” ― Henry Ward Beecher

144. “Until women assume their rightful place on earth there will never be an end to wars, cruelty and oppression.” ― Frederick Lenz

145. “Pretty women without religion are like flowers without perfume.” ― Heinrich Heine

Inspirational Quotes For Women Every Woman Should Read

146. “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

147. “Our country was built by strong women, and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes.” — Nancy Pelosi

148. “Amazing things happen when women help other women.” — Kasia Gospos

149. “We girls, we’re tough, darling. Soft on the outside but, deep down, we’re tough.” — Kristen Ashley

150. “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

151. “A man told me that for a woman, I was very opinionated. I said, ‘for a man, you’re kind of ignorant.’” — Anne Hathaway

152. “A feminist is a person who believes in the power of women just as much as they believe in the power of anyone else. It’s equality, it’s fairness, and I think it’s a great thing to be a part of.” — Zendaya

153. “Vulnerability is not about winning or losing. It’s having the courage to show up even when you can’t control the outcome.” — Brené Brown

154. “One is not born, but rather becomes a woman.” — Simone de Beauvoir

155. “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

Inspirational Quotes For Women About Female Strength

156. “I think trans women, and trans people in general, show everyone that you can define what it means to be a man or woman on your own terms.” — Laverne Cox

157. “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

158. “The world needs strong women. Women who will lift and build others, who will love and be loved. — Amy Tenney

159. “A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do. A woman must do what he can’t.” — Rhonda Hansome

160. “What would men be without women? Scarce, sir…mighty scarce.” — Mark Twain

161. “As a woman, I have no country. As a woman, I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world.” — Virginia Woolf

162. “There is nothing more intimidating to a boy than a woman with self-esteem. There is nothing more beautiful to a man than a woman with self-esteem.” — Jeremy Penn

163. “A strong woman builds her own world. She is one who is wise enough to know that it will attract the man she will gladly share it with.” — Ellen J. Barrier

164. “The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world.” — Charles Malik

165. “You don’t have to play masculine to be a strong woman.” — Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Inspirational Quotes For Women To Remind You’re Valuable

166. “Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.” — Maya Angelou

167. “Be a first-rate version of yourself, not a second-rate version of someone else.” — Judy Garland

168. “I figure, if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one.” — Calamity Jane

169. “Once you figure out what respect tastes like, it tastes better than attention.” — Pink

170. “She was a wild one; always stomping on eggshells that everyone else tip-toed on.” — Kaitlin Foster

171. “You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.” — Rosalynn Carter

172. “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.” — Helen Keller

173. “Don’t let anyone speak for you, and don’t rely on others to fight for you.” — Michelle Obama

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

175. “The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who’s going to stop me.” — Ayn Rand

Which Of These Inspirational Quotes For Women Was Your Favorite?

Whenever a woman needs to develop self-confidence, it’s important to have a couple of strong, independent women to look up to.

Reading their words of wisdom is a great way to not only encourage and empower yourself but also to celebrate and promote the achievements of the amazing women around us.

Hopefully, the quotes above have inspired you to become the woman you were meant to be.

Did you enjoy these inspirational quotes for women?

Which of the quotes was your favorite?

Tell us in the comment section below.

We would love to hear all about it.