Downright Ultimate

In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, I give you a collection of quotes said by amazing women throughout history.

Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And when they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others.
— Amelia Earhart

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’
— Eleanor Roosevelt

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.
— Oprah Winfrey

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.
— Marie Curie

No computer is ever going to ask a new, reasonable question. It takes trained people to do that.
— Grace Hopper

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
— Harriet Tubman

People really don’t have to give you anything, so appreciate what people give you.
— Aretha Franklin

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.
— Helen Keller

I think the girl who is able to earn her own living and pay her own way should be as happy as anybody on earth. The sense of independence and security is very sweet.
— Susan B. Anthony

It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.
— J.K. Rowling

The formula of happiness and success is just being actually yourself, in the most vivid possible way you can.
— Meryl Streep

Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground. — Rosa Parks

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

I am not afraid…I was born to do this. — Joan of Arc

At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.   — Frida Kahlo

I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do. — Georgia O’Keeffe

That brain of mine is something more than merely mortal; as time will show.
— Ada Lovelace

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
— Mother Teresa

You can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow.
— Janis Joplin

I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
— Marilyn Monroe

I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.
— Florence Nightingale

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.
— Lucille Ball

You’ve got to experience failure to understand that you can survive it. — Tina Fey

I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together. — Queen Elizabeth II