We celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th every year, but let me just start by saying that Women's Day should be celebrated every day. We don't need a special holiday to stand up for ourselves and to speak up.
A brief background on this ~*special*~ holiday: International Women's Day is a day dedicated to the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. We celebrate the efforts of women and the progress of society toward gender equality. At the same time, we also emphasize the ongoing struggles women still face in achieving full equality. It is a day when society celebrates the achievements of women who have broken barriers and shattered stereotypes.
This Women's Day, let us all aim to *reinforce* our commitment to creating a world where women have the same opportunities and rights as men. To remind you how badass we are, here are quotes made by famous women to inspire and empower you.
Empowering Quotes To Inspire You To Be The Best You Can Be
Anonymous women empowerment quotes
"All the people who knock me down, only inspire me to do better."
"There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise."
"Know your worth. Then add tax."
"Real queens fix each others crowns."
Quotes from famous Filipinas
"Kung mayroon kayong nasa isip, 'wag kayong matakot, magsalita kayo kasi karapatan niyo 'yan. Hangga't wala kayong inaapakan, hanggat alam niyong nasa tama kayo, hangga't alam niyo na totoo ang sinasabi niyo, karapatan niyo 'yon. Magsalita kayo. Dahil ito yung panahon, sa tingin ko, na nakikinig ang mga tao. Ito yung panahon na kailangan ng mga tao na ma-realize, 'hindi lang pala ako nag-iisa sa nararamdaman ko.'" - Angel Locsin
"You need to drown out external criticism because you’re already your own biggest critic. And if you’re going to change something about yourself, go ahead, but just make sure you’re doing it for you." - Heart Evangelista
"Kapag sinabi naming ABANTE BABAE hindi ibig sabihin na babae lamang ang dapat umabante. Ilang daang taon na ang kalalakihan ang nabibigyan ng mga oportunidad kaya't kapag may babaeng nagtatagumpay, ipinagbubunyi natin para mas marami pang kababaihan ang mapagbigyan." - Bianca Gonzalez
"Alam ko sa mga Pilipina, ang dami nating insecurities, ang dami nating 'bakit siya maputi, bakit ako maitim, bakit ako maliit, bakit siya matangkad?' We just have to choose to appreciate ourselves, love who we are, and love what we're doing, love the people [around us]. Mahirap 'yon, but loving yourself is the most important thing, lalong lalo na 'pag nasa 20s ka, discovering the sport, discovering yourself, mas importante talaga mahalin mo ang sarili mo." - Hidilyn Diaz
"No one knows you better than yourself. Don’t let the negative things and all the hate consume you, because you don't owe anyone anything." - Nadine Lustre, Letter to Her Younger Self
"Embrace your identity. Never let anyone define what you are capable of —only you should do that. And surround yourself with women who feel the same and build each other up." - Catriona Gray, Lazada Talks Indonesia
"Whether you're single, taken, married, divorced, or widowed—it doesn't really matter. Your relationship status doesn't define you. Neither does your job title, the amount of money you have in the bank, or the number of followers you have on Instagram." - Maxene Magalona
"I want every Filipino woman empowered with information regarding all options available to her regarding family planning. I want every Filipino to be armed with the right education regarding their bodies in the context of sex and reproduction; to exercise their free will in ensuring the quality of life based on their own personal, religious, and moral convictions and beliefs; and to have a fighting chance at a better life." - Lea Salonga
Empowering quotes from Hollywood celebrities
“We needed to stop saying bad shit to ourselves. You’re going to be 65 one day and think, I looked fucking great at 53.” - Jennifer Aniston
"I am a woman with thoughts and questions and sh*t to say. I say if I'm beautiful. I say if I'm strong. You will not determine my story—I will." - Amy Schumer
"If you are broken you do not have to stay broken." - Selena Gomez, American Music Awards, 2016
"We are led by our gut instincts, our intuition, our desires and fears, our scars and our dreams. And you will screw it up sometimes. So will I. And when I do, you will most likely read about on the internet. Anyway…hard things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it." Taylor Swift, NYU Class of 2022 Commencement Speech
Female leaders who have spoken empowering quotes
"There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish." - Michelle Obama
"A woman is like a tea bag - you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"Women's rights are human rights." - Hillary Clinton
"Women belong in all places where decisions are made." - Ruth Bader Ginsburg
"We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced." - Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
"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
"I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own." - Audre Lorde
"We need women who are so strong they can be gentle, so educated they can be humble, so fierce they can be compassionate, so passionate they can be rational, and so disciplined they can be free." - Kavita Ramdas
"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
"The most important thing one woman can do for another is to illuminate and expand her sense of actual possibilities." - Adrienne Rich
Empowering quotes from books and movies
"I believe that it is as much a right and duty for women to do something with their lives as for men and we are not going to be satisfied with such frivolous parts as you give us." - Louisa May Alcott, Rose In Bloom
"No one but you is allowed to dictate your worth." - Anne, Anne with an E
"I am woman, hear me roar." - Helen Reddy, I Am Woman (2019)
"The only way to change the world is to make a little noise." - Frances, Frances Ha (2012)
"You is kind. You is smart. You is important." - Aibileen Clark, The Help (2011)
"I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then." - Alice, Alice in Wonderland (2010)
"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship." - Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will." - Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
"The question isn't who's going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." - Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt, This is My Story
"I am too intelligent, too demanding, and too resourceful for anyone to be able to take charge of me entirely." - Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex