Life
On Thursday morning, TIME announced its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world (as determined by the magazine's editors). As usual, it includes a wide range of people, from entertainers and politicians to powerful figures you may never have heard of. If none of that is enough to inspire you to do get something done today, quotes from women on the TIME 100 list are guaranteed to do so. Or maybe they'll just make you feel inadequate and send you spiraling into a crisis about what you're doing with your life, and then you'll feel inspired.
It's worth pointing out that the list has never achieved gender parity; for the past several years, the number of women deemed by TIME to be influential has hovered around 40. This year, their ranks include actors Emma Stone and Viola Davis, Philippine politician Leila de Lima, iconic gymnast Simone Biles, and more. Like the previous year, numerous honorees received a spot on the cover, including two women: Davis and Melinda Gates.
Hopefully, next year's list will finally include just as many women as men, reflecting the reality of the world in which we live. (Need I remind you that women make up half of the population?) Meanwhile, let's celebrate the accomplishments of the powerful women who made the list for 2017.
1
"I'd rather lose all my stuff than lose myself, because I've done that before, and that feels way worse."
2
"The word's out: I'm a woman, and I'm going to have trouble backing off on that. I am what I am."
3
"Write for yourself. If nobody’s giving you parts, you write one for yourself and you perform it. And you see if the world likes it."
4
"The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity."
5
"Optimism for me isn't a passive expectation that things will get better; it's a conviction that we can make things better — that whatever suffering we see, no matter how bad it is, we can help people if we don't lose hope and we don't look away."
6
"Politics could do with some bloody difficult women."
7
"Be passionate and move forward with gusto every single hour of every single day until you reach your goal."
8
"What sets you apart can feel like a burden, and it's not."
9
"I've had every chance to succeed and more, and I think that's what all women should have."
10
"If you don’t love who you are, you are never going to feel 100 percent satisfied in life. It all starts with you. If you don’t love you, nobody else is going to be able to."
11
"I'm not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I'm the first Simone Biles."
12
"Love blurs your vision; but after it recedes, you can see more clearly than ever."
13
"I'm not perfect, but I'm starting to get comfortable, like a sweater you want to wear all the time."
14
"Now we begin a scientific exploration that could hold great promise for our country."
— Dr. Glenda Gray
15
"I’ve got no interest in playing a gold-digger mistress."
(It should be noted, of course, that if you want to play that role, that's totally A-OK; the point here is about choice: Gold-digger mistresses shouldn't be the only roles available, and no one should be shoehorned into a mold in which they have no interest.)
16
"I found a success that is so much bigger and deeper and better, and it's because it happened later."
