25 Quotes from Female Leaders That Will Inspire You

Tired of opening motivational quotes blog posts only to find little to no female representation? Me too. The business world is full of strong women who've shown up, done the work, and inspired us all.

To celebrate their incredible minds and contributions, I've put together a list of 25 quotes by amazing women whose words encourage me to push a little harder, speak up a little louder, and swap doing for dreaming. I hope they do the same for you.

25 Motivational Quotes by Female Leaders

1. "'Restore connection' is not just for devices, it is for people too. If we cannot disconnect, we cannot lead." -Arianna Huffington

2. "I decided I can't pay a person to rewind time, so I may as well get over it." -Serena Williams

3. "If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader." -Dolly Parton

4. "Finally I was able to see that if I had a contribution I wanted to make, I must do it, despite what others said. That I was OK the way I was. That it was all right to be strong." -Wangari Maathai

5. "Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes." -Margaret Wheatley

6. "I just want women to always feel in control. Because we're capable, we're so capable." -Nicki Minaj

7. "The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to help somebody else get it first." -Iyanla Vanzant

8. "Champions keep playing until they get it right." -Billie Jean King

9. "My best successes came on the heels of failures." -Barbara Corcoran

10. "Dreams and reality are opposites. Action synthesizes them." -Assata Shakur, Assata: An Autobiography

11. "We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained." -Marie Curie

12. "We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead." -Beyoncé

13. "A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be." -Rosalynn Carter

14. "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." -Anais Nin

15. "A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." -Eleanor Roosevelt

16. "The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them." -Ida B. Wells

17. "Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences." -J. K. Rowling

18. "Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, "She doesn't have what it takes." They will say, "Women don't have what it takes." -Clare Boothe Luce

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

20. "People think at the end of the day that a man is the only answer [to fulfillment]. Actually a job is better for me." -Diana, Princess of Wales

21. "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." -Maya Angelou

22. "You take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing, no one to blame." -Erica Jong

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

24. "Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen."

-Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

25. "I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear." -Rosa Parks