Kids

Inspirational Quotes From Women Our Daughters Can Live By

by Kevyn Gohu
March 11, 2025

Here are some inspirational and wise quotes by strong women have said over the years that our daughters can live by

We always have a saying for everything. Whether it’s When Life gives you lemons, make lemonade’ for resilience or the old biblical proverb ‘Love is kind…’, these inspirational quotes and lessons allow us to make sense of things as people. In many cases, how we interpret these quotes also becomes the core of our personalities. Now that we’re parents, we’d like to share some of these inspirational quotes by strong women with our daughters, who will experience the joys and struggles of life.

Inspirational Quotes by Strong Women Daughters Can Live By

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Growing up, women have been subjected to all sorts of standards. Some made sense, but the majority did not. But navigating the feeling of being “superior” or “inferior” to that standard lies on whoever decides to wield the former like a baseball bat. The ironic part is that they’re not the golden standard, either! So whenever someone tries to criticize, it’s okay to ask oneself, “Should I care about what you think?”

“Just because you are blind and unable to see my beauty, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” – Margaret Cho

Because beauty is a man-made standard, the world doesn’t always have the authority to tell women whether they’re pretty or not. But just because we don’t fit the majority’s standard doesn’t mean we’re not. Someone out there does find us beautiful. We just have to be the first to believe that we are.

“Healing takes time, and asking for help is a courageous step.” – Mariska Hargitay

Although video games make healing look simple by just chucking down a potion and being done with it, healing for humans isn’t the same. Everyone heals in their way, and it takes time. Some prefer going on a journey alone to heal, while others find it when talking to others. The important part is, healing is a choice we make. It may feel scary at first, but it always takes a little courage to chase a better outcome.

“Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

There’s nothing wrong with being passionate about something. But how we express or show it to others is where people start judging. Sure, it’s an overwhelming emotion, but some crowds aren’t willing to get into it. But that’s okay; the important part is that you’re willing to do the work it takes to accomplish it. Once you get the work done, the rest will follow.

“What is the purpose of life? The meaning is not for you to find but for you to define.” – Miriam Defensor Santiago

Everyone tries to find the reason why they’re born. But we can spend all our lifetimes looking for that reason before finding out that the life spent looking for that purpose has been the meaning we’ve been looking for all along. It’s up to us to figure out what we want to do with our lives. Nobody will tell us how to live. Not even God.

“Heroes start with a question. Dictators, on the other hand, fear questions.” – Risa Hontiveros

Every hero’s journey starts with a “why?” or “what?” We’ve never seen a hero’s tale from the viewpoint of someone who had all the answers in the world. The moment we get comfortable, we turn into dictators, looking away from the things that are discomforting or shooting down those who try to disturb our world order. As heroes and as humans, we have the right to question things — especially if it doesn’t make sense.

“Your soul knows when the chapter is coming to an end.” – Meggan Roxanne

It’s hard to let go of something, especially when it’s become so familiar. The comfort in knowing what comes next can be a hard thing to leave. But when that chapter starts to change us into a person that we’ve sworn to our core not to be, then we know it’s time to leave. It’s a lot easier to repair the body than it is to repair the mind and soul. So when our minds say and our souls feel we’ve had enough, it’s time to walk away.

No shame in walking away. The only ones who will shame us for doing so are the ones who have long benefited from us being beneath them. Those who see us as equals will try their best to understand.

“Having a soft heart in a cruel world takes courage. Not weakness.” – Katherine Henson

Life can harden a person. Whether it’s adversity or just the people we’re around, they can take all our kindness and smash it under their feet because they feel they have to. They’ll disguise it under all sorts of reasons. But while it’s easy to demand retribution and to harden our hearts to survive, to choose to have a soft heart and to show it in our words and actions is a choice that many, even if they won’t say so outright, will respect.

“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” – Coco Chanel

Nobody can tell a woman who to be or what she wants. A woman who knows what she wants and who she is can be a bigger help to others who are still trying to find themselves.

These quotes are from women who have lived long and survived

Women have long been part of history but have often kept to themselves. In a lot of cases, they are the ones who pulled the strings and made sure that civilization didn’t fall apart. However, the converse is also true: some civilizations have fallen because of women. Women are quite powerful, it’s just not like the usual shouting and wars that history has often recorded.

But like the many women who have offered their wisdom here, our daughters need to know that power is neither good nor bad; what we do with it is what will decide its nature.