International Women’s Day is upon us – so, of course, we need some International Women’s Day quotes to power us through another year of fighting the patriarchy. Established officially in 1977 (after being adopted by the United Nations, IWD represents an annual opportunity to strive towards a gender-equal world, together with celebrating the achievements of women past and present.
While this global awareness day is based around collective action and community, it’s also a time to remind ourselves of the vital contribution of individual women who have fought for the gender equality cause, from second-wave feminism pioneer Gloria Steinem to author and social activist bell hooks, who passed away in December 2021.
This year, we’re choosing to do that through compiling our most impactful International Women’s Day quotes to inspire the messages of gender equality and feminism – not just today, but every day of the year (because they’re just as important year-round).
Reminding us of the value of taking up space, being unapologetic, not succumbing to gendered limitations, and redefining power out of the age-old masculine stereotypes, these International Women’s Day quotes will leave you feeling inspired. Happy reading – and happy IWD!
Here are 63 of the best International Women’s Day quotes:
Another world is not only possible; she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.
– Arundhati Roy
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
They’ll tell you you’re too loud, that you need to wait your turn and ask the right people for permission. Do it anyway.
– Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Don’t think about making women fit the world – think about making the world fit women.
– Gloria Steinem
You don’t have to play masculine to be a strong woman.
– Mary Elizabeth Winstead
We can only fix this world together. We can’t do it divided… We can’t let that desensitivity seep in. The, ‘If it is your problem, then it’s not mine — it’s a woman’s problem, it’s a Black people problem, it’s a poor people problem,’ and they want to break bread with you? Well, this is their problem, too.
– Rihanna
Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.
– Maya Angelou
Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.
– Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.
– G.D. Anderson
I want every girl to know that her voice can change the world.
– Malala Yousafzai
There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself.
– Hannah Gadsby
Who knows what women can be when they are finally free to become themselves?
– Betty Friedan
What’s the greatest lesson a woman should learn? / that since day one. she’s already had everything / she needs within herself. it’s the world that / convinced her she did not.
– Rupi Kaur
My mom said to me, ‘You know, sweetheart, one day you should settle down and marry a rich man. I said, ‘Mom, I am a rich man.’
– Cher
I think every woman in our culture is a feminist. They may refuse to articulate it, but if you were to take any woman back 40 years and say, ‘Is this a world you want to live in?’ They would say, ‘No.’
– Helen Mirren
I know people are not used to seeing confident, educated, happy, chunky African American girls, and I don’t care. They’re just going to have to get used to it.
– Precious Lee
True empowerment means knowing you can fight another day
– Chlöe Bailey
Everything I do, I make sure I come prepared, to be the best version of myself. That’s the kind of woman I want to be.
– Simone Ashley
Nearly everything I know about love, I’ve learnt from my long-term friendships with women.
– Dolly Alderton
I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.
Audre Lorde
I refuse to make myself smaller to fit the unrealistic expectations of people who can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman. I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress, or how I present myself.
– Millie Bobbie Brown
There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.
– Michelle Obama
Men often ask me, ‘Why are your female characters so paranoid?’ It’s not paranoia. It’s recognition of their situation.
– Margaret Atwood
Everything I do is for the 85-year-old me. I want her to look back and thank me.
–Jameela Jamil
Mistakes mean that you’re strong enough to try.
– Serena Williams
Women don’t need to find a voice – they have a voice. They need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen.
– Meghan Markle
I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.
– Maya Angelou
Do not live someone else’s life and someone else’s idea of what womanhood is. Womanhood is you.
– Viola Davis
Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.
– Oprah Winfrey
No woman should be told she can’t make decisions about her own body. When women’s rights are under attack, we fight back.
– Kamala Harris
The more I have spoken about feminism, the more I have realised that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop.
– Emma Watson
I’ve been in so many spaces where I’m the first and only Black trans woman or trans woman period. I just want to work until there are fewer and fewer ‘first and only’.
– Laverne Cox
We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead.
– Beyoncé
When we support feminist movements, transformation happens.
– Annie Lennox
I’m a feminist. I’ve been a female for a long time now. It’d be stupid not to be on my own side.
– Maya Angelou
A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.
– Irina Dunn
You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.
– Brigham Young
When Black women win victories, it is a boost for virtually every segment of society.
– Angela Davis
I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.
– Dolly Parton
Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.
– Maya Angelou
It’s not about how many times you get rejected or fall down or are beaten up, it’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going.
– Lady Gaga
I think the best role models for women are people who are fruitfully and confidently themselves.
– Meryl Streep
If they don’t bring you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.
– Shirley Chisholm
Different is good. When someone tells you that you are different, smile hold your head up and be proud.
– Angelina Jolie
I get a bad rep sometimes for being too mouthy. I just think we need, as women, to get a bit louder.
– Chrishell Stause
The main thing for mental health is being surrounded by people that understand what you need. And when you don’t, you learn how to lean on yourself in a gracious and patient way.
– Victoria Canal
The most radical thing you can do is be happy.
– Beth Ditto
If there’s a man in the front, you better believe there are 10 women behind him that are really making things happen.
– Tiffany Boone
Anything that exists outside of the status quo is a threat, because it’s an opportunity for free thinking.
Jodie Turner-Smith
