What Are The Best Empowerment Quotes For Women In Leadership?

Some mornings I wake up scrolling through quotes like they're little power-ups in a game, picking the one that gets me through meetings or awkward coffee chats. I love lines that feel like a nudge from a friend — blunt, honest, and a bit loud. Over the years I’ve clipped sticky notes with words from people who actually lived the climb: Eleanor Roosevelt’s ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent’ sits on my monitor next to a faded poster of 'Sailor Moon' because hey, both encourage showing up for yourself. I also keep Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s steady reminder, ‘Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you,’ as a guiding rhythm when decisions get tangled.

If I had to hand someone a toolkit of lines, I’d include Brené Brown’s ‘Courage over comfort,’ Sheryl Sandberg’s tweak of ‘Lean in’ that I interpret as choosing presence over perfection, and Maya Angelou’s classic ‘I am a woman/Phenomenally.’ Toss in Michelle Obama’s ‘When they go low, we go high’ for those messy days and Audre Lorde’s ‘I am not free while any woman is unfree’ to remind us leadership lifts others. And for the moments when I need a private pep talk, I whisper a simple rule: ‘Make decisions that let you sleep at night and show up stronger tomorrow.’

These aren’t slogans — they’re phrases I’ve tested in interviews, late-night edits, and tiny victories like convincing a skeptical teammate. Pin what resonates, and don’t be afraid to rewrite a line into your own voice; leadership quotes are just scaffolding until your real voice grows on the scaffold.

I get ridiculously excited about quotes—I even have a sticky note folder on my phone with go-to lines for different moods. For rallying a team I’ll blast out Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s ‘Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time,’ because it calms the sprint-obsessed. When I need boldness, I think of Simone de Beauvoir’s ‘Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay.’ It’s a kick in the pants I sometimes need before pitching an unconventional idea.

Here are a few practical ways I use quotes: 1) Morning ritual: read one line, repeat it aloud while making coffee. 2) Meeting anchor: paste a quote in the chat to set tone—‘We’re strongest when we lift as we climb’ is my go-to. 3) Personal mantra for failure: borrow Brené Brown’s ‘Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change’ and treat mistakes as experiments. I also turn some into tiny challenges—‘Speak up once in every meeting this week’ or ‘Mentor someone younger’—because leadership is less about lofty speeches and more about repeatable acts of courage. Mixing famous lines with my own shorthand makes them stick.

When I’m in the middle of a chaotic week—juggling a team, a side project, and a stubborn houseplant—I collect quotes that double as tiny rituals. One I repeat before tough convos is Maya Angelou’s ‘Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.’ It’s forgiving and practical, two things a leader needs. I also lean on Michelle Obama’s ‘Success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives’ because it flips the scoreboard from metrics to impact.

Other favorites that keep me grounded are: ‘You don’t have to be perfect to be powerful’ and Indra Nooyi’s idea of leading with both heart and head. When I coach someone through imposter feelings, I share Audre Lorde’s line ‘Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation’ as permission to set boundaries. These words have been my morning coffee: familiar, warming, and oddly motivating on days when confidence feels scarce.

I love short, fierce quotes that fit on a phone wallpaper or a notebook corner—perfect for a quick boost before a big meeting. A few I use endlessly: ‘Lead with curiosity, not certainty.’ ‘Courage looks ordinary from the outside but feels radical on the inside.’ ‘Own your story and then rewrite the parts you don’t like.’ From the classics I borrow Maya Angelou’s ‘Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud’ for its warmth, and Brené Brown’s reminder that ‘Imperfections are the mark of the authentic leader.’

When I need instant clarity I pick one line and test it for a day—if it changes how I act, it earns a permanent spot on my list. Simple, repeatable, and oddly comforting.