A token of remembrance; best quotes by women on International Women’s Day
The words women speak about themselves and to each other can be the catalyst for significant change in any society. And we’re here to remind of you of that on international Women’s Day.
It’s here.
The day we, women, celebrate our history, struggles, our overcomings, and triumphs.
The day we remind ourselves of the mighty women who stood before us and changed the narrative for hundreds of generations, as well as those who weren’t fortunate enough to be heard.
And while we continuously fight for and hope for a world to be a better place, where all women are treated with love, care, and respect and given the freedom to explore their lives in every which way they desire, we are here today to celebrate our existence and our right to live.
Happy Women’s Day, my fellow fighters!
As a token of gratitude, I put together a list of some of the most powerful quotes I’ve come across from powerhouse women, some whom I’ve met. These quotes aren’t just meant to inspire and move us, but they’re also meant to remind us of our worth- of the gift that each of us was given- and allow us to reflect on our purpose, keep finding it, nourish it, and protect it.
And what’s a better one to start with than one of Malala Yousafzai’s inevitably moving messages: “I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. … We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”
Related:
The power of stars
And just before I take you down legend road with me, I wanted to share a few quotes from a few of the incredible women I’ve had the opportunity to meet and talk to today.
Suzanne McFadden, the guru on woman’s sport in New Zealand and the brains behind ‘the Locker Room- the first site in the country dedicated just to women’s sport- spoke with me about the power of example. McFadden shared that she’s a firm believer that “if she can’t see it, she can’t be it,” and that that’s her drive to continue shining the light on women in the sports field.
I also spoke with Angela Walker, an author/writer who just published an autobiography of the legendary Olympic Gold medalist, Dame Yvette Williams, ‘Ideals are like Stars’. She’s also a rhythmic gymnastics Olympian herself,
Walker was kind enough to read out her favorite quote to me, inspired by Williams’ story: “Ideals are like stars. You will not succeed touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them, you will reach your destination.”
Last but not least, I’ve had the chance to talk to a legendary Egyptian Olympic swimmer today that I’m also proud to call my friend, Farida Osman. Osman shared her personal motto in life with me- one that not only got her to become an all-Africa Games gold medalist and Egypt’s fastest female swimmer in history, but also a three-time Olympian who continues to break records in her country, continent, and in the world.
“What you do on your bad days, rather than your good ones is what counts,” said Osman. “Everyone can have an amazing day when they’re feeling their best, but it’s about what you do on your bad days- whether you’re down, you’re sick, you’re not feeling it. It’s about how you show up, how you control your mindset and give it your all no matter how you’re feeling….that’s the champion mentality. ❤️”
And with that, it’s time for your next favorite list of quotes by women who surely continue to rock our world with their presence:
Best quotes by women to women
Get up
- “It’s hard to be different. It’s hard to put yourself out there. That’s why not everyone does it. But I think there’s a lot of power that comes from really owning who you are. And by doing that, you get these little bits of success that sort of prove to you, you’re right. You’re doing the right thing. Follow your dreams.”- Rachel Dillon
- “Be messy and complicated and afraid, and show up anyways.” - Glennon Doyle Melton
- “Don’t let life f* you up. It’s yours. It’s yours to drive. Get up in the morning, write down what you’re gonna do in a day, be happy on your way to your job- even if you don’t like it. You gotta be happy on your way to happy. Don’t think you gonna get there and be happy. You carry yourself with you. You can’t run. I’ve tried to run. But you meet yourself when you get there. You meet yourself when you get there babies. You can’t run. - Jennifer Lewis
To us, leaders
- “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” - Jane Goodall
- “The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.” - Serena Williams, professional tennis player who has won more singles titles than any man or woman.
- “Don’t worry about making mistakes. Mistakes happen to everybody. Everybody makes a mistake. You’re not special. There’s no big deal in making a mistake. It’s all in the recovery. Most people don’t recover from a mistake. If you want to differentiate yourself, get the blessing of the lesson. Get up and move on. - Real woman
Trust the process
- “When you don’t know what to do, you do nothing. You get still until you do know. Because when you have to ask everybody else, should I should I do this? It means you don’t really know the answer fully yourself. So you get still. Be still, and know the answer will come.” - Oprah
Believe in yourself
- “Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me. - Arianna Huffington
- “Confidence is key to getting ahead in life. If you believe in yourself, the world will believe in you, because perception is reality.” - Priyanka Chopra Jonas
- “In today’s time, if you tell me to define the business of beauty and perfection, I’d tell you just walk all over it, darling. There’s no such concept. The only thing that matters is how you perceive yourself. Do you like who you see in the mirror? And if you do, then good for you. Don’t listen to anybody else.” - Sushmita Sen, Miss Universe 1994
Listen to your purpose
- “If you’re one of those people who has that little voice in the back of her mind saying, ‘Maybe I could do [fill in the blank],’ don’t tell it to be quiet. Give it a little room to grow, and try to find an environment it can grow in.” - Reese Witherspoon
- “What you care about what people think about you? You have to learn one thing in life: you cannot love everybody, and appreciate everybody, and it goes both ways. If you don’t learn that now, you’re going to always be the fool of somebody. Live your life to the full, in everything you do. As long as you don’t hurt anybody, and you’re happy doing what you do. Let them talk” - Elite mindsets
- “The most important question you can ever ask yourself is ‘What do I really want?’ And the answer to that, once you can establish for yourself what the answer to that is, and have everything you do, every choice you make move you in the direction of what you say your vision is, the forces of life rise up to meet you. The reason why most people have such chaotic lives is because they’re living in chaos in their heads. And as soon as you get clear, it clears up.”- Oprah
- “Other people’s perception of you aint none of your business. Everything you’ve ever been through, set through, rose through, cried through, prayed through, everything is a setup for your next best season.”
Honour the space in between
- “Honour the space in between where you are, and where you want to go. Honor the space between no longer and not yet.” - Nancy Levin
- “You won’t always feel that you’ve produced your best work. Sometimes you won’t feel that it’s as good as it could have been. But withholding your message because it’s not delivered ‘perfectly’ is always worse than sharing something that could have been better. When you withhold your message, you’ve succumbed to an ‘inner deceiver’. More importantly, you deprive whoever needs to hear it from benefiting.Don’t let ‘perfect’ get in the way of good enough. And don’t let unnecessary personal standards get in the way of having an impact.” - Shade Zahrai
- “When someone says you’ve changed, you don’t have to explain why you changed, or why you don’t care about their feelings about you and your decisions anymore. You don’t need to explain that. You never had to. You never needed to seek permission from anyone on how to be yourself. And if my connection with someone is threatened when I’m authentic, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to not be authentic so I can have the connection. So now that I understand my authenticity is more important than my connection with people who tell me ‘you cannot be yourself,’ you can look at those people and say ‘I no longer want this connection.’” - Najwa Zebian
The world is yours
And lastly, I’d like to end this piece with a personal quote of mine to share with all of you, one that doesn’t seem to leave my side on the hardest, and brightest of days:
“Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not possible to do something. Where you were born, what you speak, what you believe in, and what you do should not slow you down. Everything is possible, if you believe in yourself, in starting somewhere, and working really hard for it. No one ever got far in life by being like everyone else.”
By yours: Reem Abdalazem