Celebrity Celebrating Women's History Month: These 20 Women's Words Will Undoubtedly Inspire You Words to live by from Amy Poehler, Michelle Obama, Oprah and more By Diana Pearl Diana Pearl Diana Pearl is a former writer and reporter at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2018. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 8, 2023 11:50AM EST Close 01 of 20 Former First Lady Michelle Obama. Paras Griffin/Getty "There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish." — Michelle Obama 02 of 20 Rihanna. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty "There's something so special about a woman who dominates in a man's world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer." — Rihanna 03 of 20 Emma Watson. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty "In my moments of doubt, I've told myself firmly – if not me, who? If not now, when? If you have similar doubts when opportunities are presented to you, I hope those words might be helpful." — Emma Watson 04 of 20 CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/Shutterstock "The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you're very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind and above all, be humble." — Serena Williams 05 of 20 Jessica Alba. PIERRE VILLARD/SIPA/Shutterstock "No matter how different women are, we all seem to share the guilt that we're not doing enough. If anything, I would say that as long as you're doing your best, it's more than enough." — Jessica Alba 06 of 20 Reese Witherspoon. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty "Here's my hope: If you're in politics, media, the tech industry, or working as an entrepreneur or a teacher or a construction worker or a caregiver, you know the problems we are all facing. I urge each one of you to ask yourselves: What do we do now? That's a big question. What is it in life that you think you can't accomplish? Or what is it that people have said that you cannot do? Wouldn't it feel really good to prove them all wrong? Because I believe ambition is not a dirty word. It's just believing in yourself and your abilities. Imagine this: What would happen if we were all brave enough to be a little bit more ambitious? I think the world would change." — Reese Witherspoon 07 of 20 David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage "We have to teach our boys the rules of equality and respect, so that as they grow up gender equality becomes a natural way of life. And we have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible." — Beyoncé 08 of 20 John Lamparski/Getty "I just don't really believe in mistakes and worst choices. Everything I have done and not done has made me who I am." — Elisabeth Moss 09 of 20 Getty Images "When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are." — Oprah Winfrey 10 of 20 Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty "To me, 'sexy' is a kind of beauty, a kind of self-expression, one that is to be celebrated, one that is wonderfully female. Why does the implication have to be that sex is a thing men get to take from women and women give up?" — Emily Ratajkowski 11 of 20 Clemens Bilan/Getty "There's one thing. Don't make it so hard for yourself. Stop bashing yourself. Don't make it so hard for yourself. You don't deserve it, and nobody deserves it. You wouldn't do that to anybody, so stop doing it to yourself." — Charlotte Rampling 12 of 20 Hillary Clinton. Cindy Ord/WireImage "Women's rights are human rights." — Hillary Clinton 13 of 20 Todd Williamson/NBC/Getty "I just love bossy women. I could be around them all day. To me, bossy is not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody's passionate and engaged and ambitious and doesn't mind learning." — Amy Poehler 14 of 20 getty images "What I want young women and girls to know is: You are powerful and your voice matters. You're going to walk into many rooms in your life and career where you may be the only one who looks like you or who has had the experiences you've had. But you remember that when you are in those rooms, you are not alone. We are all in that room with you applauding you on. Cheering your voice. And just so proud of you. So you use that voice and be strong." — Vice President Kamala Harris 15 of 20 "We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave, to embrace the strength within themselves and realize their full potential." — Malala Yousafzai 16 of 20 Rachel Murray/Getty "Trans rights are women's rights ... I'm a woman but I'm also trans. It's about always including trans voices in discussions about women's rights." — Laverne Cox 17 of 20 Huerta at the 2018 Academy Awards. "We as women should shine light on our accomplishments and not feel egotistical when we do. It's a way to let the world know that we as women can accomplish great things!" — Dolores Huerta 18 of 20 Taylor Swift. Kevin Mazur/WireImage "Other women who are killing it should motivate you, thrill you, challenge you, and inspire you." — Taylor Swift 19 of 20 Meghan Markle. Shutterstock "Women don't need to find a voice. They have a voice. They need to feel empowered to use it, and people need to be encouraged to listen." — Meghan Markle 20 of 20 Lena Dunham. Presley Ann/Getty Images "Respect isn't something you command through intimidation and intellectual bullying. It's something you build through a long life of treating people how you want to be treated and focusing on your mission." — Lena Dunham