In honour of International Day of the Girl, here are 20 quotes from 20 inspirational women that will inspire you to reach your full potential:
1. Emma Watson, Actress, Model, Activist
“Becoming yourself is really hard and confusing, and it’s a process. I was completely the eager beaver in school, I was the girl in the front of the class who was the first person to put her hand up, and it’s often not cool to be the person that puts themself out there, and I’ve often gotten teased mercilessly, but I found that ultimately if you truly pour your heart into what you believe in—even if it makes you vulnerable—amazing things can and will happen” –From her 2013 MTV Movie Awards “Trailblazer” acceptance speech
2. Michelle Tan, Editor-in-chief, Seventeen Magazine
“Confidence is like a muscle, you have to work on it to make it grow” –Her Conference 2015
3. Taylor Swift, Singer, Songwriter
“Being fearless isn’t being 100 percent not fearful; it’s being terrified but you jump anyway.” (source)
4. Rupi Kaur, Author of Milk and Honey
5. Sheryl Sandberg, Chief operating officer, Facebook
“Trying to do it all and expecting that it all can be done exactly right is a recipe for disappointment. Perfection is the enemy.” (source)
6. Rebecca Minkoff, Fashion designer
“If you don’t have [confidence], you have to pretend that you do. Once you get good at that, it becomes a habit. Act like you’re confident until you start feeling that way. The people I’ve met who I thought are the most confident are the least. They’re just really good at pretending.” (source)
7. Karlie Kloss, Fashion Model
“If you believe in yourself and feel confident in yourself, you can do anything. I really believe that.” (source)
8. Aly Raisman, Gymnast, Two-time Olympian
“You can’t be successful in anything if you don’t truly love it or if you don’t have a passion for it. So just stay positive and have fun.” (source)
9. Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
“When you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway os opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach back.” (source)
10. Serena Williams, Professional Tennis Player
“The success of every single woman is an inspiration for another.” (source)
11. Lily Singh, iiSuperwomanii, Youtuber
“The world is waiting for what you have to offer, because no-one else can offer exactly what you have” (source)
12. Mindy Kailing – Actress, Comedian, Writer
“I’m constantly in a state of self-improvement but I don’t beat myself up over it.” (source)
13. Alaina Percival, Chief Executive Officer, Women Who Code
“Don’t worry if you’re wrong. Just pick something, and take strategic steps toward that goal. Then, you’re able to do it in a more authentic way.” (source)
14. Arianna Huffington, Co-Founder and Former President & Editor in Chief, Huffington Post
“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes — understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” (source)
15. Malala Yousafzai, Activist, Nobel Prize laureate
“Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow’s reality.” (source)
16. Ellen DeGeneres, Comedian, Television Host, Actress, Writer, Producer
“Be open to learning new lessons. They contradict the lessons you learned yesternday.” (source)
17. J. K. Rowling, Author of the Harry Potter series, Screenwriter, Film producer
“Some failure in life is inevitable. 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.” (source)
18. Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the Unites Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zeland, Head of the Commonwealth
“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.” (source)
19. Selena Gomez, Actress, Singer
“The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve learned that I have to open myself up to all opportunities. Maybe I’ll get burned and not meet the right people, but I won’t know until I do.” (source)
20. Beyoncé, Singer, Songwriter, Record producer, Actress
“I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world. I run my world.” (source)