Let’s face facts: many women have had to work twice as hard as their male counterparts to attain recognition and success. From boardrooms to ballot boxes, women have had to claw their way tooth and nail to show that they can be just as aggressive, innovative, and accomplished in the realms of business, science, and politics as men. That’s why these motivational quotes for women carry so much weight and could help inspire all of us.
1. “Lean in, speak out, have a voice in your organization, and never use the word ‘sorry’” – Trish Bertuzzi, Founder & CEO of The Bridge Group Inc
Trish Bertuzzi founded The Bridge Group Inc in 1998 and has since gone on to revolutionize the modern landscape of inside sales. She’s also a best-selling author of titles such as The Sales Development Playbook.
2. “The most successful entrepreneurs I know are optimistic. It’s part of the job description” – Caterina Fake, Co-founder of Flickr
Caterina Fake is best known for co-founding the popular media hosting site Flickr and the recommendation engine developer Hunch. She’s also served as the chairwoman of the eCommerce platform Etsy and has featured in Time magazine’s 2006 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
3. “You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive” – Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer at Facebook
The billionaire businesswoman Sheryl Sandberg may be most famous for serving as the current chief operating officer of social media behemoth Facebook, where she became the first woman elected to its board of directors in 2012. She’s also dabbled in politics, serving as chief of staff for US Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers.
4. “Growth and comfort do not exist” – Ginni Rometty, President and CEO of IBM
Ginni Rometty made her career at computer giant IBM, starting as a lowly systems engineer but eventually going on to hold the roles of president, chairman, and CEO, while also heading marketing, sales, and strategy. Ginni Rometty is a champion of woman motivation and remains the only woman to have led the tech giant in history.
5. “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, Former CEO of Yahoo!, Co-Founder of Sunshine
Mayer served as the chief executive officer and president of Yahoo! from 2012 until Verizon bought out the company in 2017. She currently runs her tech company Sunshine developing AI and mass media technologies while serving as among the board of directors for institutions as diverse as Walmart, the New York City Ballet, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
6. “We need to accept that we won’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” – Arianna Huffington, Founder of The Huffington Post
As founder of the eponymous Huffington Post newsgroup, Arianna Huffington has left an indelible impression on the face of modern American media. She’s also a best-selling author many times over, who’s been featured on Time 100 and Forbes’ list of the most powerful women in the world.
7. “Be an amateur. Not everything you do has to be good, especially at first” – Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs
Ann Handley is a best-selling author responsible for helping shape the development of modern marketing philosophy. She came to fame with ClickZ, the company she developed that was one of the first to grasp the internet’s potential for digital marketing possibilities.
8. “If you always have one eye on some future goal, you stop paying attention to the job at hand, miss opportunities that might arise, and stay fixedly on one path, even when a better, newer course might have opened up” – Indra Nooyi, Former CEO of PepsiCo
One of the most powerful business women of all time, Indra Nooyi is most known for her work at the food and drinks giant PepsiCo, where she is credited with revitalizing the company’s value through her approach of “Performance with a Purpose”. She’s also famous for her groundbreaking work in the field of corporate responsibility and serves on the boards of some of the biggest brands in the world.
9. “Don’t let anyone person’s opinion move you; listen, but be confident” – Amanda Kahlow, CEO & Founder of 6sense
Kahlow and her family endured an impoverished upbringing to produce a litter of CEOs. She currently operates 6Sense, a cutting-edge digital marketing platform.
10. “I never thought of myself as a female engineer, or founder, or a woman in tech. I just think of myself as someone who’s passionate” – Leah Busque, Founder of TaskRabbit
Leah Busque founded the online company task rabbit, which connects professionals and freelancers with users who need jobs to be completed. During her tenure as CEO, she brought the company to 44 cities worldwide and brought the business more than $50 million in investment.
11. “Stick to your true north – build greatness for the long term” – Ruth Porat, Chief Financial Officer of Alphabet
Ruth Porat has served as the chief financial officer of the technology group Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google. Before that, she worked as executive vice president on the board of the American investment powerhouse Morgan Stanley.
12. “Do what you love, and success will follow. Passion is the fuel behind a successful career” – Meg Whitman, President & CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Meg Whitman is one of America’s most successful business women, having served on the boards of General Motors and Proctor & Gamble. Her biggest achievement to date is serving as president of the technology giant Hewlett Packard Enterprise, but she also ran for Governor of California in 2010.
13. “I like to say it’s an attitude of not just thinking outside the box, but not even seeing the box” – Safra A. Catz, CEO of Oracle Corporation
Safra Catz is an Israeli billionaire best known for being CEO of the tech group Oracle Corporation. Additionally, she is the most well-paid woman CEO of any business in America, yet also finds time to lecture students in accounting at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
14. “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know” – Sara Blakely, Founder & CEO of Spanx
Sara Blakely is the founder and president of the hugely popular clothing and lingerie brand Spanx. She’s also a minority owner in her hometown state’s basketball team, the Atlanta Hawks, and a keen philanthropist.
15. “At the end of the day, you are the only one that is limiting your ability to dream or to actually execute on your dreams” – Falon Fatemi, Founder & CEO of Node
Falon Fatemi is best known as the founder of Node, an AI-powered predictive business platform. Her most recent venture is Fireside’s podcast platform, which she operates alongside her husband, Mark Cuban.
Final Thoughts
Celebrate these achievements with a look at some of the most inspirational wisdom and hard-earned life lessons straight from the mouths of these successful women themselves. We love these inspirational business women quotes, and, whether you’re a man or a woman, we think they can help all of us get one step closer to achieving our dreams.
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