To celebrate the women who have shown us strength, courage, and leadership, we’ve compiled a collection of quotes to uplift and empower you.

Whether you’re looking for smart insights, phrases that inspire, or speeches that make you feel stronger, these quotes are just the ticket.

Here are some words of wisdom from the leaders and icons who make us proud to be women.

Feminist quotes by strong women to empower you

 

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“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

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

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

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

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

 

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“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

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

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

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

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

 

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“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

“And really, how insulting is it that to suggest that the best thing women can do is raise other people to do incredible things? I’m betting some of those women would like to do great things of their own.” — Jessica Valenti

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

“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