Each March we celebrate the contributions women have made to the US and recognize their achievements throughout history as a way of honoring Women’s History Month.
More specifically, on March 8th we’ll celebrate International Women’s Day, and what better way to honor this day than by reading some inspirational words of wisdom?! From Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Maya Angelou to Emma Watson and Angela Davis, here are some of the most inspiring feminist quotes.
1. “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 Lorde
2. “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” – Shirley Chisholm
3. “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
4. “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker
5. “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” – Maya Angelou
6. “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
7. “We need to live in a culture that values and respects and looks up to and idolizes women as much as men.” – Emma Watson
8. “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
9. “I want to build a community where women of all races can communicate and … continue to support and take care of each other. I want to give women a space to feel their own strength and tell their stories. That is power.” – Beyoncé
10. “Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” – Serena Williams
11. “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” – Angela Davis
12. “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
13. “It’s important to teach our female youth that it’s OK to say, ‘Yes, I am good at this,’ and you don’t hold back.” – Simone Biles
14. “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
15. “To all the little girls who are watching this, 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
16. “What I want young women and girls to know is: You are powerful and your voice matters.” – Kamala Harris
17. “After all those years as a woman hearing ‘not thin enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not this enough, not that enough,’ almost overnight I woke up one morning and thought, ‘I’m enough.’” – Anna Quindlen
18. “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish, whether that’s in politics or other fields.” – Michelle Obama
19. “I can promise you that women working together—linked, informed and educated—can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet.” – Isabel Allende
20. “They’ll tell you you’re too loud, that you need to wait your turn and ask the right people for permission. Do it anyway.” – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Beyond just reading inspiring feminist quotes, you can also celebrate Women’s History Month by supporting NYC’s women-owned restaurants and women-owned businesses!