International Women's Day is celebrated annually on March 8th to recognize the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women across the globe. It is a day to acknowledge the progress that has been made towards gender equality and to continue the fight for women's rights. In this blog, we've compiled a list of the top 50 quotes on International Women's Day to inspire and empower women everywhere.
"Women's rights are human rights." - Hillary Clinton
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." - Alice Walker
"Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world." - Hillary Clinton
"I am a woman with thoughts and questions and shit to say. I say if I'm beautiful. I say if I'm strong. You will not determine my story - I will." - Amy Schumer
"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
"Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception." - Ruth Bader Ginsburg
"The question isn't who's going to let me; it's who's going to stop me." - Ayn Rand
"A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders." - Sheryl Sandberg
"We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead." - Beyoncé
"I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femininity. And I want to be respected in all my femaleness. Because I deserve to be." - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"The best protection any woman can have...is courage." - Elizabeth Cady Stanton
"I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own." - Audre Lorde
"A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men." - Gloria Steinem
"I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard." - Malala Yousafzai
"The most effective way to do it is to do it." - Amelia Earhart
"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship." - Louisa May Alcott
"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
"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition." - Timothy Leary
"The world needs strong women. Women who will lift and build others, who will love and be loved. Women who live bravely, both tender and fierce. Women of indomitable will." - Amy Tenney
"There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish." - Michelle Obama
"I am a Woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal Woman, that's me." - Maya Angelou
"The most important thing one woman can do for another is to illuminate and expand her sense of actual possibilities." - Adrienne Rich
"A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform." - Diane Mariechild
"I hope the fathers and mothers of little girls will look at them and say 'yes, women can.'" - Dilma Rousseff
"Women are the real architects of society." - Harriet Beecher Stowe
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"We need to live in a culture that values and respects and looks up to and idolizes women as much as men." - Emma Watson
"I am a woman, not a princess. I have an attitude, opinions, and a very loud voice." - Unknown
"Women are leaders everywhere you look, from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household. Our country was built by strong women and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes." - Nancy Pelosi
"Feminism is not a dirty word. It does not mean you hate men, it does not mean you hate girls that have nice legs and a tan, and it does not mean you are a 'bitch' or 'dyke'; it means you believe in equality." - Kate Nash
"One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals." - Michelle Obama
"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
"The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it." - Roseanne Barr
"I am not a victim. No matter what I have been through, I'm still here. I have a history of victory." - Steve Maraboli
"Women are the real architects of society." - Cher
"A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman." - Melinda Gates
"No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens." - Michelle Obama
"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear." - Rosa Parks
"The empowered woman is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description." - Steve Maraboli
"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
"The future is female." - Unknown
"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud." - Coco Chanel
"The challenge is not to be perfect, it's to be whole." - Jane Fonda
"I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves." - Mary Wollstonecraft
"The history of all times, and of today especially, teaches that ... women will be forgotten if they forget to think about themselves." - Louise Otto
"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
"Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul." - Coretta Scott King
"I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay." - Madonna
"You don't have to be pretty. You don't owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don't owe it to your mother, you don't owe it to your children, you don't owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked 'female'." - Erin McKean
These quotes from influential women and men remind us of the ongoing fight for gender equality and the importance of celebrating the achievements and contributions of women in our society. International Women's Day is not just a day to recognize the progress that has been made, but also a reminder of the work that still needs to be done.
It's important to continue the conversation and push for change so that one day, gender inequality will no longer exist. We must empower and support women, promote gender diversity and inclusion, and break down the barriers that hold women back.
Let's honor the women who have come before us and those who continue to fight for equality today. Happy International Women's Day!