Despite living in a world long dominated by men, women have shaped history just as much as their male counterparts. Women have held positions of power for millennia — as far back, at least, as 2400 BCE and the reign of the Sumerian queen Kubaba, the first recorded female ruler in history. Later came Boudica and Cleopatra, Catherine the Great and Queen Victoria, and many other women who shaped the fates of nations.
In every aspect of life, from the arts to science and technology, women have excelled in the face of patriarchal and sexist societies, in which their achievements have often been downplayed or even credited to men. Though much has improved, thanks to the efforts of generations of activists and feminists, the fight for true equality of the sexes remains unfinished. To inspire that continued fight, here are some empowering quotes from some of the most influential women in history, from Elizabeth I to Frida Kahlo.
I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.Elizabeth I was queen of England from 1558 until her death in 1603. One of the most popular monarchs in history, she was loved by her people despite the male-dominated world in which she ruled.
The more I study, the more insatiable do I feel my genius for it to be.Ada Lovelace used her “poetical science” to help Charles Babbage with his Analytical Engine (one of the first computers), and as such is often cited as the world’s first computer programmer.
We have to free half of the human race, the women, so that they can help to free the other half.Emmeline Pankhurst was a political activist who organized the suffrage movement in the United Kingdom, which helped women win the right to vote and inspired feminist movements around the world.
Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood.Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, awarded for her pioneering research on radioactivity, as well as the first person and only woman to win two Nobel Prizes.
Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.Virginia Woolf was one of the most important authors of the 20th century. A pioneer of modernist literature, she and her work inspired such renowned writers as Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison.
The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life and the procedure. The process is its own reward.Amelia Earhart was an aviation pioneer whose many records included becoming the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically… No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.Rosa Parks was a prominent activist in the civil rights movement, whose name became synonymous with resistance to segregation after she refused to give up her seat for a white passenger.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.Eleanor Roosevelt served as the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. As a political figure, diplomat, and pacifist, she has long been heralded for her work in furthering human rights.
Self-knowledge is no guarantee of happiness, but it is on the side of happiness and can supply the courage to fight for it.Simone de Beauvoir was a French existentialist philosopher and writer whose work had a profound and lasting influence on feminist theory.
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.Maya Angelou was a writer and civil rights activist whose memoirs, most notably “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” broke new ground in reflecting the lived experience of many Black people.
I paint flowers so they will not die.Frida Kahlo’s art remained relatively unknown until after her death, but was rediscovered by art historians and political activists in the 1970s. Her status as both an artist and an icon of the feminist movement has only grown since then.
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