March has always been a special month for me for 2 reasons: it’s the month when we celebrate International Women’s Day and most importantly it’s the month of my birthday ☺. On that special occasion, I’m thrilled to share with you some quotes that inspired me – from amazing women that are or were true leaders in this world. You have a special gift and you simply need to get up and share it with the world. You can truly be all you decide to be. Always remember, “Life is a matter of choice and not a matter of chance!” Here are 50 quotes just for you:
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Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” – Anne Sweeney, President of Walt Disney
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“The only way to do something in depth is to work hard. The moment you start being in love with what you’re doing, and thinking it’s beautiful or rich, then you’re in danger.” – Miuccia Prada, co-CEO and lead designer of Prada
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“You can and should set your own limits and clearly articulate them. This takes courage, but it is also liberating and empowering, and often earns you new respect.” – Rosalind Brewer, President and CEO of Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
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“It is within everyone’s grasp to be a CEO.” – Martha Stewart, founder of Marth Stewart Living Omnimedia
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“You create opportunities by performing, not complaining.” – Muriel Siebert, first female member of the New York Stock Exchange
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“I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.” – Virginia Rometty, CEO of IBM
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“You never lose in business, either you win or you learn. Never hire someone you can’t fire. Choose your life partner carefully. An unsupportive spouse can kill a business faster than a bad marketing plan” – Melinda Emerson, the “SmallBizLady,” author of “Become your own boss in 12 months”;
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“I am not satisfied in making money for myself. I endeavor to provide employment for hundreds of the women of my race.” – Madam C.J. Walker;
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“My husband always tells me that I’m the most unrelenting person he’s ever met, and it’s true. If I make a commitment to something I will stick to it no matter what.” – Jenny Craig;
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“I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard.” – Estée Lauder;
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“I don’t believe in failure. It’s not failure if you enjoyed the process.” – Oprah Winfrey;
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“If you push through that feeling of being scared, that feeling of taking risk, really amazing things can happen.” – Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo;
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“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes—understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” – Arianna Huffington;
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“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me?” – Ayn Rand;
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“The comfort zone is a nice place, but nothing grows there. Take the leap today and start your business!” – Caroline Cummings;
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“If you are successful, it is because somewhere, sometime, someone gave you a life or an idea that started you in the right direction. Remember also that you are indebted to life until you help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped.” – Melinda Gates, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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“People respond well to those that are sure of what they want.” – Anna Wintour, editor-in-Chief, American Vogue
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“Whatever it is that you think you want to do, and whatever it is that you think stands between you and that, stop making excuses. You can do anything.” – Katia Beauchamp, co-founder and CEO, Birchbox.
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“Invite people into your life that don’t look or think like you.” – Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Investments.
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“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” – Estée Lauder
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“The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves.” – Barbara Corcoran, real estate magnate and ‘Shark Tank’ investor.
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“What I wanted was to be allowed to do the thing in the world that I did best – which I believed then and believe now is the greatest privilege there is. When I did that, success found me.” – Debbi Fields, the creator of Mrs. Fields.
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“Surround yourself only with people who want the best for you.” – Oprah Winfrey
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“Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” – Sara Blakely, founder, Spanx
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“Build something you’re passionate about. As an entrepreneur, you have to have the passion and drive to stay the course.” – Alexandra Chong, CEO and founder, Lulu
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“I know society says you should be a certain way, but I think [you should] stop and look at what is your natural way of being who you are.” – Ari Horie, founder, Women’s StartUp Lab
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“If you are committed to creating value and if you aren’t afraid of hard times, obstacles become utterly unimportant. A nuisance perhaps, but with no real power. The world respects creation; people will get out of your way.” – Candice Carpenter Olson, Co-CEO, Fullbridge
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“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou, activist, poet, award-winning author
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“People don’t take opportunities because the timing is bad, the financial side unsecure. Too many people are overanalyzing. Sometimes you just have to go for it.” – Michelle Zatlyn, Co-founder of CloudFlare
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“So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.” – Caterina Fake, Co-founder, Flickr and Hunch.
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“I had to learn to stand up for myself. I thought that unless I had something brilliant to say, I should be quiet. But three quarters of the other people were saying stupid stuff.” – Meg Whitman, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
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“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” – Dolly Parton, singer-songwriter
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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist
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“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” – Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady
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“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” – Helen Keller, author
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“I wake up every morning and think to myself, ‘How far can I push the company forward in the next 24 hours?” – Leah Busque, TaskRabbit
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“Surround yourself with a trusted and loyal team. It makes all the difference.” – Alison Pincus, One Kings Lane
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“Don’t waste a single second. Just move forward as fast as you can, and go for it.” – Rebecca Woodcock, Cake Health
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“Good leaders organize and align people around what the team needs to do. Great leaders motivate and inspire people with why they’re doing it. That’s purpose. And that’s the key to achieving something truly transformational.” – Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin
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“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 leading.” – Amy Poehler, actress
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“Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want.” – Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator
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“Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical and performance-oriented) no longer holds. Instead, true leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed… Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection.” – Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook
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“Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader.” – Indra Nooyi,PepsiCo
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“Many women live like it’s a dress rehearsal. Ladies, the curtain is up and you’re on.” – Mikki Taylor, Essence Magazine
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“I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.” – Ginni Rometty, IMB
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“Sometimes you can gradually improve things. But sometimes, they don’t work, and you’ve just got to just say: Let’s grind this baby to a halt.” – Abigail Johnson, Fidelity Investments
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“I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head.” – Princess Diana, Princess of Wales
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“If this is something that you really want to do, if you believe in it … simply keep forging forward because success will come.” – Cassandra Sanford, Kelly Mitchell Group
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“Don’t let being a woman hold you back from the leader that you’re destined to be.” – Jamie Farsnel, Due
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“Do not wait on a leader…look in the mirror, it’s you!” – Katherine Miracle, speaker
“Don’t wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect!” Hope this inspired you. If so, please share with your network. Do you have other quotes that inspired you can also share with us?
In the meantime, visit FC Success Academy for more about how you can become a leader and all the tools you need to start your own business, or propel your existing business to the next level. Enroll today and have an impact in the world!
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Hope you found this article useful. Let me know what you’re struggling with when it comes to launching your own business, product or service and please share if you have other useful tips for new entrepreneurs.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning actress, filmmaker, speaker and business owner, Fabienne Colas is the ‘Queen of Festivals’ and founder of a successful entertainment & media empire – which includes 7 successful festivals in Canada, the USA and Haiti; a production company and several other ventures. CEO/Founder of Zaza Production, Fabienne helps people unlock their greatness, launch their products and services, reposition their brand and bring their business to the next level.