From Mary Wollstonecraft’s passionate call for women’s educational rights in 1792 to the suffragettes of the 19th century all the way on to the #MeToo activists and glass-ceiling smashers making waves in the modern world, the work of the feminist movement is never done. It has evolved, sure, but the fight for women’s rights has always been at the very centre of feminism. How could it not be? An intersectional and inclusive movement is more important than ever, and the fight for empowerment is about more than celebrating International Women’s Day. It is about civil rights, human rights, self-love and all the rest. As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie famously wrote, we should all be feminists.
History is filled with powerful quotes from strong women, calling for change and amplifying the voices of the voiceless in the process. These quotes come from a world’s worth of different sources, from the indomitable literature of Maya Angelou and Virginia Woolf to the artistic endeavours of Dolly Parton, Beyoncé, and Madonna via Emma Watson and the silver screen, Michelle Obama and the White House, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Supreme Court and all the rest. This collection of inspiring feminist quotes are about more than activism; they’re empowering quotes about life as we know it, about the world around us, a world that will forever be flawed until we have the courage to embrace gender equality in a genuine fashion. That requires courage, heart, bravery and strength, and these powerful quotes have all of those in spades. Intersectionality is vital to every step of this journey, fighting sexism is something everyone needs to be involved with, and the work of a women’s rights activist is never truly done. To repeat those famous words once again; we should all be feminists. Seriously, we should. These inspiring feminist quotes will help get you on the right track in no time.
Quotes from historic feminist figures
In order to understand any movement, you need to go back in time and listen to its most important historical figures. For feminism and the women’s rights movement, this means travelling back to the 16th century and beyond, stopping off in the centuries since to listen to writers, thinkers, teachers, and more. Understanding the history of any movement is vital to any informed, powerful stance, and the fight for gender equality is no different in this regard. From the emerging first-wave feminists of the 16th through early 20th century and the second waves that followed in the 1960s, these powerful quotes showcase a developing movement that refused to back down and lay down the groundwork for contemporary action in the process.
1."It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens... who formed the Union.” — Susan B. Anthony, On Women's Right to Vote
2.“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” — Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
3.“If a woman have a pint and a man a quart—why can’t she have her little pint full?” — Sojourner Truth, Ain’t I A Woman?
4.“I do not wish them womento have power over men; but over themselves.” — Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
5.“A woman is not to marry a man merely because she is asked, or because he is attached to her, and can write a tolerable letter.” — Jane Austen, Emma
6.“We cannot accept any code or creed that uniformly defrauds woman of all her natural rights.” — Elizabeth Cady Stanton, The Woman's Bible
7.“If we revert to history, we shall find that the women who have distinguished themselves have neither been the most beautiful nor the most gentle of their sex.” — Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
8.“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others, they sail forever on the same horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. Now women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. They then act and do things accordingly." — Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
9.“Now, we are becoming the men we wanted to marry. Once, women were trained to marry a doctor, not be one.” — Gloria Steinem, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions
10.“It is obvious that discrimination exists. Women do not have the opportunities that men do. And women that do not conform to the system, who try to break with the accepted patterns, are stigmatised as 'odd’ and ‘unfeminine.’ The fact is that a woman who aspires to be chairman of the board, or a Member of the House, does so for exactly the same reasons as any man. Basically, these are that she thinks she can do the job and she wants to try.” — Shirley Chisholm, We Rise
11.“If the feminine issue is so absurd, is because the male's arrogance made it 'a discussion.’” — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex
12.“If I want to define myself, I first have to say, ‘I am a woman’; all other assertions will arise from this basic truth. A man never begins by positing himself as an individual of a certain sex: that he is a man is obvious.” — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex
13.It takes a great deal of courage and independence to decide to design your own image instead of the one that society rewards, but it gets easier as you go along.” — Germaine Greer, The Female Eunuch
14.“Power is being redefined. Women often explain with care that we mean power to control our lives, but not to dominate others.” — Gloria Steinem, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions
15.“Why is it acceptable for women to be secretaries, librarians, and teachers, but totally unacceptable for them to be managers, administrators, doctors, lawyers, and Members of Congress?” — Shirley Chisholm, We Rise
Quotes from contemporary feminists
Those vital historical figures laid the groundwork, and it is contemporary feminists and women’s rights activists who are making the difference today. The third and fourth waves of feminism brought important changes to the movement, redefining what it meant to fight for gender equality in the process. Much was focused on intersectionality, and the voices of women of colour, women who identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community, working-class women, disabled women, and more were finally brought to the fire. Contemporary feminism has also been embraced by several of the biggest stars on the planet, giving the fight for women’s rights a bigger stage than ever before.
16.“I would like to ask that we begin to dream about and plan for a different world. A fairer world. A world of happier men and happier women who are truer to themselves. And this is how to start: We must raise our daughters differently. We must also raise our sons differently.” — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists
17.“Young feminists are a thrilling phenomenon: smart, bold, funny defenders of rights and claimers of space—and changers of the conversation.” — Rebecca Solnit, Men Explain Things to Me
18.“If women want a feminist revolution—ours is a world that is crying out for feminist revolution—then we must assume responsibility for drawing women together in political solidarity. That means we must assume responsibility for eliminating all the forces that divide women.” — bell hooks, Ain't I a Woman
19.“For me, the process of embodying confidence was less about convincing myself of my own worth and more about rejecting and unlearning what society had hammered into me.” — Lindy West, Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman
20.“You do not win by struggling to the top of a caste system, you win by refusing to be trapped within one at all.” — Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth
21.“This is not a men vs. women issue. It’s about people vs. prejudice.” — Laura Bates, Everyday Sexism
22."Some people really feel uncomfortable around women who don’t hate themselves. So that’s why you need to be a little bit brave.” — Mindy Kaling, Why Not Me?
23.“It's the mark of a backward society—or a society moving backward—when decisions are made for women by men.” — Melinda Gates, The Moment of Lift
24.“Since stepping reluctantly into public life, I’ve been held up as the most powerful woman in the world and taken down as an ‘angry black woman.’ I’ve wanted to ask my detractors which part of that phrase matters to them the most—is it ‘angry’ or ‘black’ or ‘woman’?” — Michelle Obama, Becoming
25."Growing up in my generation, we were told that women need protection. A woman is precious and must be sheltered and cherished—what a load of BS! We don’t need protection, we need armour." — Margaret Trudeau, Certain Women of an Age
26.“In the United States, it’s fine for a woman to claim equality so long as she cheerfully opts out.” — Hillary Rodham Clinton, What Happened
27.“Success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively for women. When a man is successful, he is liked by both men and women. When a woman is successful, people of both genders like her less.” — Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In
28.The easiest way to disregard a woman’s voice is to package her as a scold.” — Michelle Obama, Becoming
29.“Being a feminist means believing that every woman should be able to use her voice and pursue her potential, and that women and men should all work together to take down the barriers and end the biases that still hold women back.” — Melinda Gates, The Moment of Lift
30.“The promise of equality is not the same as true equality.” — Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In
31."If one man can destroy everything, why can't one girl change it?" — Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala
32.“I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity. And I want to be respected in all of my femaleness because I deserve to be.” — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists
33.“You cannot easily fit women into a structure that is already coded as male; you have to change the structure.” — Mary Beard, Women and Power: A Manifesto
34.“I believe feminism is grounded in supporting the choices of women even if we wouldn’t make certain choices for ourselves.” — Roxane Gay, Bad Feminist
35.“No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men. There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women.” — Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala
36.“Feminists are celebrating our victories and acknowledging our privilege when we have it. We’re simply refusing to settle. We’re refusing to forget how much work is yet to be done. We’re refusing to relish the comforts we have at the expense of the women who are still seeking comfort.” — Roxane Gay, Bad Feminist
37.“As women gain rights, families flourish, and so do societies. That connection is built on a simple truth: Whenever you include a group that's been excluded, you benefit everyone. And when you're working globally to include women and girls, who are half of every population, you're working to benefit all members of every community. Gender equity lifts everyone. Women's rights and society's health and wealth rise together.” — Melinda Gates, The Moment of Lift
38.“Women of today are still being called upon to stretch across the gap of male ignorance and to educate men as to our existence and our needs." — Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches
39.“Teach your daughterto reject likability. Her job is not to make herself likable, her job is to be her full self, a self that is honest and aware of the equal humanity of other people.” — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions
40.“In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.” — Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In
The long and storied history of inspiring feminist quotes goes way beyond the ones celebrated here. Simply engage with Audre Lorde, Bell Hooks, Helen Mirren, Kamala Harris, Mindy Kaling, and so many more. You’ll find a world of empowering quotes designed to inspire courage, bravery, and strength. That is what is needed in the fight for women’s rights and the fight for gender equality, and it is a battle that is being won. One victory at a time, of course, but every victory counts. It is thanks to the strong women celebrated here that the fight for empowerment continues apace.
