Inspirational Quotes for Women | Examples & Tips

Inspirational quotes for women include excerpts from literature, song lyrics, or sayings that uplift and empower in the name of gender equality.

Try writing personalized inspirational quotes for women with the help of QuillBot’s free Text Generator.

Inspirational quotes for women

Inspirational quotes for women can range from highly personal and specific to your life to proverbs that have persisted through the ages.

Here are some inspirational quote ideas for that you can save as affirmations or share with the women in your life:

Inspirational quotes for women at work

Inspirational quotes for women at work help motivate, instill confidence, and connect with our values.

Here are 10 inspirational quotes for women to connect you with your purpose:

  1. “Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” —Farrah Gray, American businessman
  2. “I did everything he did but backwards and in high heels.” —Ginger Rogers, American dancer and actress
  3. “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” ―Virginia Woolf, English writer and author of A Room of One’s Own
  4. “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.” ―Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women
  5. “The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” —Amelia Earhart, American aviator
  6. “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” —Jane Goodall, English primatologist and anthropologist
  7. “Being the Queen is not all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing. It has much to do with your service to people. And your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as well.” —Aretha Franklin, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  8. “The most valuable thing we can do for the psyche, occasionally, is to let it rest, wander, live in the changing light of room, not try to be or do anything whatever.” ―May Sarton, Belgian-American novelist
  9. “If you have yet to be called an incorrigible, defiant woman, don’t worry, there is still time.” ―Clarissa Pinkola Estés, American writer and author of Women Who Run with the Wolves
  10. “We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.” —Jane Austen, English writer and author of Pride and Prejudice  

Inspirational quotes for Black women

Black women have been core contributors to the advancement of social progress, and there is a large body of inspirational works of writing by Black women.

The following inspirational quotes highlight these contributions and illustrate the sensitivity and strength of Black women throughout history.

  1. “No black woman writer in this culture can write ‘too much.’ Indeed, no woman writer can write ‘too much’…No woman has ever written enough.” ―bell hooks, author of Remembered Rapture: The Writer at Work
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  1. “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” ―audre lorde, American writer and professor
  2. “black women breathe flowers, too.
    just because
    we are taught to grow them in the lining of our quiet (our grandmothers secret)
    does not mean
    we do not swelter with wild tenderness.”
    —nayyirah waheed, poet and author of salt.
Note
When quoting a longer excerpt from a poem (more than four lines), use block quotation format. If you need to use citations as well, QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can help you get them right.
  1. “I believe that we are in an imagination battle, and almost everything about how we orient toward our bodies is shaped by fearful imaginations. Imaginations that fear Blackness, brownness, fatness, queerness, disability, difference. Our radical imagination is a tool for decolonization, for reclaiming our right to shape our lived reality.” ―adrienne maree brown, author of Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good
  2. “I touch my own skin, and it tells me that before there was any harm, there was miracle.” ―adrienne maree brown, author of Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good
  3. “Black women have had to develop a larger vision of our society than perhaps any other group. They have had to understand white men, white women, and black men. And they have had to understand themselves. When black women win victories, it is a boost for virtually every segment of society.” —Angela Davis, American political activist and philosopher
  4. “I am about life. I’m gonna live as hard as I can and as full as I can until I die.” —Assata Shakur, American activist
  5. “The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who’s going to stop me.” —Nina Simone, American pianist and singer-songwriter
  6. “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” —Serena Williams, American tennis champion
  7. “Black women writers are necessary so that Black women can define and depict their own experiences rather than being objects in the stories of others.” —Octavia Butler, American science-fiction writer

Short inspirational quotes for women

Short inspirational quotes are ideal for saving and using as personal affirmations, or sharing with friends and family over text messaging. Try saving these ones to stay motivated and confident.

Short motivational quotes for women:
Quote Source
    • “A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink.”😉

Gina Carey, American filmmaker

    “You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously.”🎨

Sophia Bush, American actor

    “There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.” 💪

W.E.B. Dubois, American sociologist and writer

    “All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you.” 🌀

Octavia Butler, American science-fiction writer

    “You are your best thing.” 🪞

Toni Morisson, American writer and author of Beloved

    “Your lives matter. Your voices matter. Your stories matter.” ✊

Laverne Cox, American activist and actress

    “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.” 🍃

Arundhati Roy, Indian writer and author of The God of Small Things

    “Women supporting women moves mountains.” ⛰️

Robin Morgan, American poet and writer

    “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” 🐞

Coco Chanel, French fashion designer

    “Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?”🪶

Mary Oliver, American poet

Frequently asked questions about inspirational quotes for women

Are there inspirational bible quotes for women?

Yes, the Bible does include inspirational quotes for women.

There are many uplifting quotes in books like Psalms and Proverbs. For example,

“She wraps herself in strength, carries herself with confidence, and works hard, strengthening her arms for the task at hand.” —Proverbs 31:16-17

Create inspirational quotes for women yourself using QuillBot’s free Text Generator.

Where can I find inspirational quotes for young women?

You can find inspirational quotes for young women in young adult fiction, song lyrics, and on social media.

Start by getting to know the favorite music, movies, and books that your daughter, niece, or students already enjoy.

Bring your quotes to life by adding them to personalized graphics using QuillBot’s AI Image Generator.

What are examples of daily inspirational quotes for women?

Daily inspirational quotes for women include short excerpts that you can memorize and use as affirmations.

They can be famous lines from movies, song lyrics you find personally meaningful, or even a saying from a relative.

Try creating personalized daily inspirational quotes using QuillBot’s free Text Generator.

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Lily Cichanowicz, M.A.

Lily holds a master's degree in Sociology. She has extensive experience in both academic and professional writing, with a focus on travel, technology, education and politics.

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