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

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." — Maya Angelou, author and poet

“I raise up my voice — not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” — Malala Yousafzai, activist and Nobel Prize laureate

"Strong men, men who are truly role models, don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful." — Michelle Obama, former First Lady

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." — Sylvia Plath, writer and poet

"I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else's whim, or to someone else's ignorance." — bell hooks, author and feminist scholar

"Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world." — Dolores Huerta, labor and civil rights activist, co-founder of The National Farmworkers Association

"Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture." — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author

"I don't go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head." — Princess Diana

"I believe that telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act. It is an act that can be met with hostility, exclusion, and violence. It can also lead to love, understanding, transcendence, and community." — Janet Mock, author

"I used to think I was the strangest person in the world, but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there, and read this, and know that, yes, it's true I'm here, and I'm just as strange as you.” — Frida Kahlo, artist

"If you have a dream, don't let anybody take it away." — Selena Quintanilla, singer

"We are the rebels asking for the storm, and believing that truth is only to be found in an endless search." — Nadya Tolokonnikova, Russian activist, author, and Pussy Riot member

"I think transwomen, and transpeople in general, show everyone that you can define what it means to be a man or woman on your own terms. A lot of what feminism is about is moving outside of roles, and moving outside of expectations of who and what you’re supposed to be to live a more authentic life." — Laverne Cox, actor

"You can be a businesswoman, a mother, an artist, and a feminist — whatever you want to be — and still be a sexual being. It’s not mutually exclusive." — Beyoncé, singer

"You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down." — Toni Morrison, author, professor, and Nobel Prize winner

"There's a lot of pain and suffering out there. I think there needs to be more joy, and love, and orgasms in the world. We are a pleasure-negative society. Suffering is much more acceptable. And I want to tell women that they are sexually powerful beings, but they often don't get in touch with it because they are socialized to please men." — Annie Sprinkle, sex educator and former sex worker

"Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable. I didn't have to become perfect, because I've learned throughout my journey that perfection is the enemy of greatness." — Janelle Monáe, singer

"Stand your ground! Don’t let people, your surroundings, or events intimidate you. Speak up, speak loudly, and be demanding of what you want." — Toni Ko, founder of NYX Cosmetics

“Women may be the one group that grows more radical with age.” — Gloria Steinem

“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

“I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.” — Amelia Earhart, aviation pioneer and the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean

“Tremendous amounts of talent are being lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt.” — Shirley Chisholm, American politician, author, and educator

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady

“We’re all water from different rivers, that’s why it’s so easy to meet; we’re all water in this vast, vast ocean, someday we’ll evaporate together.” — Yoko Ono, artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist

“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” — Oprah Winfrey, talk show host, producer, and philanthropist

“Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.” — Hillary Clinton, former United States Secretary of State and the first female presidential nominee of a major U.S. political party

“Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don't believe is right.” — Jane Goodall, English primatologist and anthropologist