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Home , Oprah Winfrey, Shirley Chisholm

Sample quotations for YSEALI Women’s History Month YouTube Video Submission

“The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have.” - Padmasree Warrior (CEO & Founder, Fable)

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” - Muriel Strode (Poet)

Marianne Williamson – “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

“Leadership is not a person or a position. It is a complex moral relationship between people based on trust, obligation, commitment, emotion, and a shared vision of the good.” - Joanne Ciulla (Author and Educator)

“If you’re not making some notable mistakes along the way, you’re certainly not taking enough business and career chances." - Sallie Krawcheck (CEO & Co-Founder, Ellevest)

“We need to accept that we don’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes. Understand that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” - (Founder & CEO, Thrive Global)

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” - (Media Executive and Philanthropist)

“I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist." - Ginni Rometty (Executive Chairman, IBM)

“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” - Marissa Mayer (Co-Founder, Lumi Labs)

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you’ll be criticized anyway.” - (Former First Lady of the )

“Who you are surrounded by often determines who you become.” - Vicky Saunders (Founder, SheEO)

Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of Youtube — “Rarely are opportunities presented to you in a perfect way. In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top. 'Here, open it, it's perfect. You'll love it.' Opportunities – the good ones – are messy, confusing and hard to recognize. They're risky. They challenge you.”

“Leadership is hard to define, and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader.” - Indra Nooyi (Former CEO, PepsiCo)

“Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want.” - Dianne Feinstein (Senior United States Senator)

“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” - Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook)

“It’s okay to admit what you don’t know. It’s okay to ask for help. And it’s more than okay to listen to the people you lead – in fact, it’s essential.” - Mary Barra (CEO, General Motors)

“With kids, they don’t do what you want them to do when you want them to do it. Organizations don’t necessarily, either. You’ve got to listen. You’ve got to learn how to influence.” - Ellen J. Kullman (President & CEO, Carbon)

“People respond well to those that are sure of what they want.” - (Editor-in-Chief, Vogue)

“Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you.” - (American Politician)

“Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else." - (Founder & CEO, Spanx)

“If you are committed to creating value and if you aren’t afraid of hard times; obstacles become utterly unimportant. A nuisance perhaps; but with no real power. The world respects creation; people will get out of your way.” - Candice Carpenter Olson (Co-CEO, Fullbridge)

“No one else is going to build the life you want for you. No one else will even be able to completely understand it. The most amazing souls will show up to cheer you along the way, but this is your game. Make a pact to be in it with yourself for the long haul, as your own supportive friend at every step along the way.” - Tara Mohr (Leadership Coach and Author)

“I’m a maniacal perfectionist. And if I weren’t, I wouldn’t have this company.” - (Author and Television Personality)

“Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” - (Former First Lady of the United States)

“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” - Anne Sweeney (Former President, Disney ABC Television Group)

“Without being willing to fail and continually get back up again, I would never have been able to find the right market and establish my product within it." - Kelly Manthey (Group Chief Executive, Kin+Carta)

“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” - (Former First Lady of the United States)

“You need to spend political capital - be unafraid to introduce people, compliment somebody when it’s deserved and stand up for something you really believe in, rather than just go with the flow.” - Amy Schulman (Partner, Polaris Partners)

“Leadership is about the team - the culture they keep and embrace, it’s about empathy for your customers, clients, employees and the communities where you do business, it’s about doing the right thing for the right reasons, being confident enough to take risks and responsible enough to think of those who your decisions and risks may affect.” - Kat Cole (COO & President of FOCUS Brands)

“Do not be afraid to make decisions. Do not be afraid to make mistakes.” - Carly Fiorina (Former CEO, Hewlett-Packard)

“If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.” - (Civil Rights Activist and Poet)

“A good leader is able to paint a picture of a vision for the future and then enlist others to go on the journey with her. A truly conscious leader recognizes that it is not about her, but that the team is looking to her for inspiration and direction. Keeping her ego in check is essential.” - Tamra Ryan (CEO, Women’s Bean Project)

“You can and should set your own limits and clearly articulate them. This takes courage, but it is also liberating and empowering, and often earns you new respect.” - Rosalind Brewer (COO & Group President of Starbucks)

“I think it’s a combination of personality traits that have helped me to succeed. Not only hard work - but patience, sacrifice and choosing my battles have all helped me to reach the point in my career to which I aspired, in a company I admired.” - Katelyn Gleason (CEO & Founder of Eligible)

"Cultivate a network of trusted mentors and colleagues. Other people can give us the best insight into ourselves—and our own limitations. We must have the courage to ask for help and to request feedback to expand our vision of what's possible.” - Maria Castañón Moats (Assurance Partner, PwC)

"Continuous learning leads to continuous improvement. Commit yourself to advancing your knowledge, skills, and expertise. The business environment is quickly changing, and your understanding of the leading practices, thinking, and emerging tools will help you manage for better results. Be a lifelong student." - Pamela Gill Alabaster (Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Centric Brands)

“Many women live like it’s a dress rehearsal. Ladies, the curtain is up and you’re on.” – Mikki Taylor “You’re not in competition with other women. You’re in competition with everyone.” – Tina Fey “The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.” – “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” – “The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves.” – Barbara Corcoran “As women, we must stand up for ourselves. We must stand up for each other. We must stand up for justice for all.” – Michelle Obama “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” – “Leadership is not about men in suits. It is a way of life for those who know who they are and are willing to be their best to create the life they want to live.” – Kathleen Schafer “Do not wait on a leader…look in the mirror, it’s you!” – Katherine Miracle “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”– Sheryl Sandberg “Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” – Anne Sweeney “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” – Oprah Winfrey “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” – Audre Lorde “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 “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” – Mary Anne Radmacher “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” – Dolly Parton “I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.” – Anaïs Nin “My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but also doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” – Oprah Winfrey “Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you.” – Hillary Clinton “With kids, they don’t do what you want them to do when you want them to do it. Organizations don’t necessarily, either. You’ve got to listen. You’ve got to learn how to influence.” – Ellen J. Kullman “Expect the unexpected, and whenever possible, be the unexpected.” – Lynda Barry “There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it, for if I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard.” – Madam C.J. Walker “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” – “Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” – Estée Lauder “So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.” – Caterina Fake “The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to help somebody else get it first.” – “Surround yourself with a trusted and loyal team. It makes all the difference.” – Alison Pincus “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” – Rosalynn Carter “Don’t waste a single second. Just move forward as fast as you can, and go for it.” – Rebecca Woodcock “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” – Helen Keller “My best successes came on the heels of failures.” – Barbara Corcoran “We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.” – “If this is something that you really want to do, if you believe in it … simply keep forging forward because success will come.” – Cassandra Sanford “I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.” – Virginia Rometty “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” – Sara Blakely “I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” – Marissa Mayer “I work really hard at trying to see the big picture and not getting stuck in ego. I believe we’re all put on this planet for a purpose, and we all have a different purpose… When you connect with that love and that compassion, that’s when everything unfolds.” – Ellen DeGeneres “Sometimes you can gradually improve things. But sometimes, they don’t work, and you’ve just got to just say: Let’s grind this baby to a halt.” – Abigail Johnson “No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.” – Michelle Obama

“Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men.” – Katherine Johnson, Afircan-America mathematician and NASA scientist

“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.” – Serena Williams, professional tennis player

“We need to understand that there is no formula for how women should lead their lives. That is why we must respect the choices that each woman makes for herself and her family. Every woman deserves the chance to realize her God-given potential.” – Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State

“Women should do for themselves what men have already done—occasionally what men have not done—thereby establishing themselves as persons, and perhaps encouraging other women toward greater independence of thought and action.” – Amelia Earhart, first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean

“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” – Ruth Bader Ginsberg, former U.S. Supreme Court justice

“Tremendous amounts of talent are being lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt.” – , first African-American woman elected to U.S. Congress

“A girl should not expect special privileges because of her sex but neither should she adjust to prejudice and discrimination.” – , writer and activist

“I really think a champion is defined not by her wins but by how she can recover when she falls.” – Serena Williams, tennis player

“Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.” – Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State

“Think like a queen. A queen if not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” – Oprah Winfrey, America’s first black multi-

“I’ve had to learn to fight all my life – got to learn to keep smiling. If you smile things will work out.” – Serena Williams, tennis player

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” – , American civil rights activist

“Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Make decisions based on what should happen, not what shouldn’t.” – Michelle Obama, former U.S. First Lady

“I don't have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I'm as good as anybody, but no better.” – Katherine Johnson, , Afircan-America mathematician and NASA scientist

“You can show more of the reality of yourself instead of hiding behind a mask for fear of revealing too much.” – Betty Friedan, activist and writer

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt, former U.S. First Lady and U.S. Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly

“If you're always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” – Maya Angelou, Pulitzer-prize nominated poet

“I was a person with dignity and self-respect, and I should not set my sights lower than anybody else just because I was black.” – Rosa Parks

“There's power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice.” – Michelle Obama

“We’re all water from different rivers, that’s why it’s so easy to meet; we’re all water in this vast, vast ocean, someday we’ll evaporate together.” – Yoko Ono, performance artist and peace activist

“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburgt, fomer U.S. Supreme Court Justice

“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.” – Shirley Chisholm, first African-American woman elected to U.S. Congress

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right–for you’ll be criticized anyway.” – Eleanor Roosevelt, former U.S. First Lady and U.S. Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly

“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou, poet

“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” – , U.S. Supreme Court Justice

“Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose a challenge instead of competence.” – Eleanor Roosevelt, former U.S. First Lady and U.S. Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly

“I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same as ‘making a life.’” – Maya Angelou, poet

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart, first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean

“Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.” – Michelle Obama

“Passion is the log that keeps the fire of purpose blazing.” – Oprah Winfrey

“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, painter often recognized as the “Mother of American modernism”

“Aging is not “lost youth” but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” – Betty Friedan

“Some people are old at 18 and some are young at 90. Time is a concept that humans created.” – Yoko Ono

“Every moment wasted looking back, keeps us from moving forward…In this world and the world of tomorrow, we must go forward together or not at all.” – Hillary Clinton