Inspirational Quotes That'll Give You More of a Boost Than Coffee

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published 23 March 2020

Feeling stuck in a rut, or just out of sorts? We got you. Sometimes, you just need a couple of positive, candid, inspiration-giving quotes that'll help you see the light of the end of the tunnel. From the women (and some men) who have seen it all, done it all, and have the wisdom to help you through anything, we present: Inspirational, timeless lines that will get you through even the darkest of days. You may just need one or two of these quotes—the ones that really speak to you and your situation—but we listed 108 of them (yes, 108) so that there's something for everyone.

Viola Davis

"Do not live someone else's life and someone else's idea of what womanhood is. Womanhood is you." —Viola Davis

Ilhan Omar

"They cannot stand that a refugee, a black woman, an immigrant, a Muslim, shows up in Congress thinking she's equal to them. But I say to them, 'How else did you expect me to show up?'" — Ilhan Omar

Tory Burch

"If it doesn't scare you, you're probably not dreaming big enough." —Tory Burch

bell hooks

"Feminism is for everybody." —bell hooks

Rihanna

"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

Kamala Harris

“If we do not lift up women and families, everyone will fall short.”—Kamala Harris

Tina Fey

"Perfect is overrated. Perfect is boring." —Tina Fey

Justin Trudeau

“I am a feminist. I’m proud to be a feminist.” —Justin Trudeau

Diane von Furstenberg

"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

Reese Witherspoon

"I don't know a woman alive who isn't courageous." —Reese Witherspoon

Nancy Pelosi

"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

Kerry Washington

"I don't have to be perfect. All I have to do is show up and enjoy the messy, imperfect, and beautiful journey of my life." —Kerry Washington

Coco Chanel

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different." —Coco Chanel

Ryan Gosling

"I'm attracted to films that have strong female characters because there are strong female characters in my life." —Ryan Gosling

Prince Harry

"Real men treat women with dignity and give them the respect they deserve." —Prince Harry

Margaret Thatcher

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

Madonna

"I'm tough. I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay." —Madonna

John Legend

"All men should be feminists. If men care about women's rights, the world will be a better place. We are better off when women are empowered." —John Legend

Michelle Obama

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

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"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

Vera Wang

"A woman is never sexier than when she is comfortable in her own clothes." —Vera Wang

Tina Fey

"Know what? Bitches get stuff done." —Tina Fey

Amy Schumer

"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

Tavi Gevinson

"Women are complicated. Women are multifaceted. Not because women are crazy. But because people are crazy, and women happen to be people." —Tavi Gevinson

Rebecca West

"I myself have never been able to find out precisely what a feminist is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat." —Rebecca West

Jia Tolentino

"Women’s speech—and the fact that we are now listening to it—has enraged men in a way that makes them determined to reestablish the longstanding hierarchy of power in America. ... And yet this awful truth will not stop women from speaking, and I do not think that it will turn a movement into a moment. It has become clear that there is not nearly enough left to lose." — Jia Tolentino

Marilyn Monroe

"Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world."
—Marilyn Monroe

Betty Friedan

"No woman gets an orgasm from shining the kitchen floor." —Betty Friedan

Sophia Loren

"Sex appeal is fifty percent what you've got and fifty percent what people think you've got."
—Sophia Loren

Hailee Steinfeld

"It needs to be said and heard: It's okay to be who you are."
—Hailee Steinfeld

Eleanor Roosevelt

"A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water."
—Eleanor Roosevelt

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

"The idea that a woman can be as powerful as a man is something that our society can’t deal with. But I am as powerful as a man and it drives them crazy." —Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Anne Hathaway

"A man told me that for a woman, I was very opinionated. I said, 'For a man, you're kind of ignorant.'" —Anne Hathaway

Alice Walker

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." —Alice Walker

Amelia Earhart

"The most effective way to do it, is to do it."
—Amelia Earhart

Elizabeth Warren

“The word’s out: I’m a woman, and I’m going to have trouble backing off on that. I am what I am. I’ll go out and talk to people about what’s happening to their families, and when I do that, I’m a mother. I’m a grandmother.” —Elizabeth Warren

Shonda Rhimes

"You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them." —Shonda Rhimes

Zendaya

“I think women are very powerful and I think we’re more powerful together than separated.” – Zendaya

Lucille Ball

"I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done." —Lucille Ball

Stacey Abrams

"When we show up, act boldly, and practice the best ways to be wrong, we fail forward. No matter where we end up, we’ve grown from where we began." —Stacey Abrams

Joan Rivers

"I was smart enough to go through any door that opened." —Joan Rivers

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

"If I stop to kick every barking dog I am not going to get where I'm going." —Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Melinda Gates

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

Estée Lauder

"Act tough: what others call tough, I call persistent." —Estée Lauder

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

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

Tyra Banks

"Never dull your shine for anyone else." —Tyra Banks

Rebecca West

"I only know that people call me a FEMINIST whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat." —Rebecca West

Serena Williams

"A champion is defined not by their wins, but by how many times they recover when they fall." —Serena Williams

Katy Perry

"I hope to be changing 'til the last day on this earth." —Katy Perry

Gigi Hadid

"I love my body because I know what it's been through to be what it is." —Gigi Hadid

Alicia Vikander

"The mere fact of being able to call your job your passion is success in my eyes." —Alicia Vikander

Coco Chanel

"I don't care what you think about me. I don't care about you at all." —Coco Chanel

Tina Fey

"Don't waste your energy trying to change opinions. Do your thing, and don't care if they like it." —Tina Fey

Marilyn Monroe

"Fear is stupid, so are regrets." —Marilyn Monroe

Iris Apfel

"Fashion you can buy, but style you possess." —Iris Apfel

Emma Stone

"Flaws are my favorite part of people, usually." —Emma Stone

Diane von Furstenberg

"Dreams are achievable and you can make your fantasy come true, but there are no shortcuts. Nothing happens without hard work." —Diane von Furstenberg

Diana Vreeland

"It's not about the dress you wear. It's about the life you lead in the dress." —Diana Vreeland

Justin Trudeau

"I am a feminist. I'm proud to be a feminist." —Justin Trudeau

Gloria Steinem

"A FEMINIST is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men." —Gloria Steinem

Maya Angelou

"Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women." —Maya Angelou

Hillary Rodham Clinton

"Human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights. Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely — and the right to be heard." —Hillary Rodham Clinton

Julia Roberts

"I'm better for all the things that have happened to me, the good, the bad and the bad" —Julia Roberts

Rihanna

"You have to accept your body. You may not love it all the way, but you have to be comfortable with it, comfortable knowing that that's your body." —Rihanna

Barack Obama

"The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something." —Barack Obama

Mindy Kaling

"Sometimes you just have to put on lip gloss and pretend to be psyched." —Mindy Kaling

Michelle Obama

"I want young people to know they matter, that they belong. So don't be afraid—you hear me, young people? Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered." —Michelle Obama

Cameron Diaz

"Your regrets aren't what you did, but what you didn't do. So I take every opportunity." —Cameron Diaz

Rosa Parks

"Knowing what must be done does away with fear." —Rosa Parks

Nora Ephron

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

Lena Dunham

"It's not brave to do something that doesn't scare you." —Lena Dunham

Emma Watson

"If men don't have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won't feel compelled to be submissive. If men don't have control, women don't have to be controlled." —Emma Watson

Beyoncé

"I don't like to gamble, but if there's one thing I'm willing to bet on, it's myself." —Beyoncé

Ayn Rand

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." —Ayn Rand

Elanor Roosevelt

"Happiness is not a goal; it's a by-product." —Eleanor Roosevelt

Oprah

"Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness." —Oprah

Rosa Parks

"Each person must live their life as a model for others." —Rosa Parks

Emma Watson

"Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women. It's about freedom, it's about liberation, it's about equality." —Emma Watson

Geraldine Ferraro

"We've chosen the path to equality, don't let them turn us around." —Geraldine Ferraro

Jane Fonda

"You can do one of two things: just shut up, which is something I don't find easy, or learn an awful lot very fast, which is what I tried to do." —Jane Fonda

Janis Joplin

"Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got." —Janis Joplin

Mary Kom

"Don't let anyone tell you you're weak because you're a woman." —Mary Kom

Sheryl Sandberg

"In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will be just leaders." —Sheryl Sandberg

Adele

"I've learned the main thing in life is that you get what you put in." —Adele

Beyoncé

"I have learned that it is no one else's job to take care of me but me." —Beyoncé

Demi Lovato

"I try to keep it real. I don't have time to worry about what I'm projecting to the world. I'm just busy being myself." —Demi Lovato

Elizabeth Gilbert

"Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be." —Elizabeth Gilbert

Janelle Monáe

"I come in peace, but mean business." —Janelle Monáe

Lauryn Hill

"Don't be a rock when you really are a gem." —Lauryn Hill

Taylor Swift

"I'm just happy we live in a world where boys can play princesses and girls can play soldiers." —Taylor Swift

Beyoncé

"We need to stop buying into the myth about gender equality. It isn't a reality yet." —Beyoncé

Frida Kahlo

"Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?" —Frida Kahlo

Helen Mirren

"At 70 years old if I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be to use the word 'f—k off' much more frequently." —Helen Mirren

Janet Mock

"Telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act." —Janet Mock

Patricia Schroeder

"I have a brain and a uterus, and I use both." —Patricia Schroeder

Priyanka Chopra

"My dad always said, 'Don't fit into the glass slipper like Cinderella did, shatter the glass ceiling.'" —Priyanka Chopra

Amy Poehler

"It takes years as a woman to unlearn what you have been taught to be sorry for. It takes years to find your voice and your real estate." —Amy Poehler