“The only person that deserves a special place in your life is someone that never made you feel like you were an option in theirs.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“Dignity will only happen when you realize that having someone in your life doesn’t validate your worth.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“When they go low, we go high.”
― Michelle Obama

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception.”
― Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“The moment you have to recruit people to put another person down, in order to convince someone of your value is the day you dishonor your children, your parents and your God. If someone doesn't see your worth the problem is them, not people outside your relationship.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong, and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears.”
― Mark Anthony, The Beautiful Truth

“Séamus’s eyebrows, like the antennae of the potato beetle but with a greater sense of grievance, poke forward as he delivers his first utterance of the morning.”
― Michael Tobert, Karna's Wheel

“My true potential had more to do with my willingness to struggle than with my past and present circumstances.”
― Hope Jahren, Lab Girl

“I know that many men and even women are afraid and angry when women do speak, because in this barbaric society, when women speak truly they speak subversively - they can't help it: if you're underneath, if you're kept down, you break out, you subvert. We are volcanoes. When we women offer our experience as our truth, as human truth, all the maps change. There are new mountains.

That's what I want - to hear you erupting. You young Mount St. Helenses who don't know the power in you - I want to hear you.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin

“Should I surrender to this bliss? The love, the touch of a child!”
― Andri E. Elia, Yildun: Worldmaker of Yand

“The people that truly love us in life don't fight for us to remain a doormat for others.”
― Shannon L. Alder

“Women Empowerment Reminder of The Day. Always respect yourself as a woman. You attract what you are, so be very mindful of how you’re representing yourself. If you want respect, you must first learn how to respect yourself, first. Attracting negative attention is never a good thing. Be a woman of substance! Be a woman that both women and men respect, admire, and look up to. Don’t disrespect yourself by lowering your standards and accepting just anything that comes your way. It’s okay to be single! If you want a relationship of substance, you can’t keep entertaining people and things that mean you no good. Think about it! It’s all up to you.”
― Stephanie Lahart

“Ladies! I encourage you NOT to be so easily flattered by what a man has. Be flattered by his strength, courage, integrity, and character as a man. Be impressed by his ability to be honest, faithful, loving, and respectful to you. Be impressed because he can communicate and openly express his feelings. Be impressed because he’s got confidence, direction, and purpose in his life. Be impressed because he’s a quality man, NOT a fine man. Real Talk!”
― Stephanie Lahart

“You are Fire!
Don’t believe these mere mortals.
They want to put you on a pedestal
and sing paeans to you;
later they would burn you
in the altar of that same fire!

Stand away and stand alone!
You are limitless!
But these mortals can only limit your sky!
You are the Universe!
But they will only give you a little space!
Break free! It’s a trap!
They want to cage you!
Because, they are afraid of your real power!

You are a woman.
You are the fire!
You are all conquering.
You are all powerful!

You are Supreme!
You were not born to be a mere beauty queen!!”
― Avijeet Das

“The strong women told the faggots that there are two important things to remember about the coming revolutions. The first is that we will get our asses kicked. The second is that we will win.

The faggots knew the first. Faggot ass-kicking is a time-honored sport of the men. But the faggots did not know about the second. They had never thought about winning before. They did not even know what winning meant. So they asked the strong women and the strong women said winning was like surviving, only better. As the strong women explained winning, the faggots were surprised and then excited. The faggots knew about surviving for they always had and this was going to be just plain better. That made ass-kicking different. Getting your ass kicked and then winning elevated the entire enterprise of making revolution.”
― Larry Mitchell, The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions

“Marian exhaled. 'Because God made me a woman is no reason to be such a woman as men wish to make me.”
― A.E. Chandler, The Scarlet Forest: A Tale of Robin Hood

“Respect, Love, and Value yourself. Always remember to be good to yourself by taking care of yourself. Make yourself a priority and know that it’s okay. Don’t feel guilty for loving yourself, first! You’re just as important as anybody else.”
― Stephanie Lahart

“How dare a person tell a woman, how to dress, how to talk, how to behave! Any being who does that, is no human.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The Bengal Tigress: A Treatise on Gender Equality

“Freedom is to live with dignity”
― Manal al-Sharif, Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman's Awakening

“Don’t be afraid of who you are. Say what you wish. Be who you wish. Don’t try to be someone else. You don’t want to catch a man who wants me. You want to catch a man who wants you.”
― Tricia Levenseller, The Shadows Between Us

“At times we relax in our comfort zone, and it takes leadership to recognize this and adjust our mindset.”
― Mark Villareal, A Script for Aspiring Women Leaders: 5 Keys to Success

“A woman gambles all of herself, body and future, when she marries. That's more courageous than any risk a bureaucrat takes when it concerns only his face, or his wealth”
― Shelley Parker-Chan, She Who Became the Sun

“It is strange to both fit in everywhere and belong nowhere, to never feel completely at home outside of your own skin”
― Maquita Donyel Irvin, Stories of a Polished Pistil: Unpaved

“There's not a stratum of the world that doesn't need girls. Maybe we're devalued precisely because we're so valuable. The world is too afraid of not bein able to obtain and control us to respect our true worth.”
― Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow

“Could even be some prehistoric tricks with wooden logs flying like pendulums or spikes under the moving floor. Perhaps a net—used to catch monkeys?”
― Misba, The Oldest Dance

“Women’s work is never easy, never clean.”
― Tayari Jones, An American Marriage

“I have engaged in enough women’s rights activism to know that the belief “sons are better than daughters'' is a huge problem in some parts of the world. For those who have little knowledge of Islam, there is the impression that women’s oppression stems from islamic teachings. This is simply not the case. In fact, muslim imams preach about the value of daughters often siting that a daughter opens the gates of paradise for their father. Indeed, the person the most beloved to the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, was his youngest daughter, Fatima. Islamic teachings are clear that a father has to fulfill his duty to raise and care for his daughters, and that the obligations go beyond providing financial support. He must provide a safe, peaceful, and loving home environment that is conducive to his daughter’s overall spiritual and moral development.”
― Mariam Khan, It's Not About the Burqa

“We're goddamn witches. Don't tell us we can't.”
― Corey Ann Haydu, Ever Cursed

“I wonder how much of a woman's life is spent this way. Enduring. Waiting for enjoyment or, fuck it, death.”
― Rachel Harrison, Cackle

“Official historians have long depicted wu zetian as a sort of chinese version of the Red Queen from The Alice and Wonderland, by focusing on her secret police and fondness by bumping off enemies. "And she slept her way to the top".
An interesting angle given that her brief dynasty was one of the most prosperious periods in many respects (in terms of peace, arts, and social progress.)
On the other hand, what is always pointed out (and emphasized as fact) is that she was fearsome, ambitious, and ruthless. Common (and valued)character traits in just about every emperor...but clearly not easy to digest in an empress”
― Pénélope Bagieu, Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World