International Day of the Girl: 16 great quotes from famous women
Happy International Day of the Girl! Now in its fifth year, the United Nations has designated October 11 as a day “to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.” To mark this year’s iteration we bring you, in no particular order, a collection of inspiring messages from high achieving women, to encourage the empowerment of girls everywhere.
1. “You must make women count as much as men; you must have an equal standard of morals; and the only way to enforce that is through giving women political power so that you can get that equal moral standard registered in the laws of the country. It is the only way.” Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the British suffragette movement
2. “Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay.” Simone de Beauvoir, French existentialist writer and philosopher
3. “Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It's about baking a new pie.” Gloria Steinem, American feminist and political activist
4. “You have to stay in school. You have to. You have to go to college. You have to get your degree. Because that's the one thing people can't take away from you is your education. And it is worth the investment.” Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States
5. “Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” J K Rowling, bestselling Harry Potter author
6. “There are hazards in anything one does but there are greater hazards in doing nothing.” Shirley Williams, British politician
7. “I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, and going after your dreams.” Madonna, pop star
8. “I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I’m not afraid to look behind them.”Elizabeth Taylor, British-American actress
9. “Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow's reality.” Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist for female education
10. “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.”Hillary Clinton, former Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States
11. “I have chosen to no longer be apologetic for my femaleness and my femininity. And I want to be respected in all of my femaleness because I deserve to be.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian writer of novels and non-fiction
12. “I like to be a free spirit. Some don't like that, but that's the way I am.” Princess Diana
13. “It's very important to take risks. I think that research is very important, but in the end you have to work from your instinct and feeling and take those risks and be fearless.” Anna Wintour, editor of American Vogue
14. “I can't imagine people telling me what to do - I just can't imagine it.”Jane Campion, New Zealand film director
15. “I don't want other people to decide who I am. I want to decide that for myself.” Emma Watson, British actress
16. “Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience.” Mary Wollstonecraft, 18th century English writer and philosopher